Trauma
by Bullet Nick
Summary: "Sonic, are you okay?" He didn't answer. "Why are you covered in blood?" Sonic slowly looked up to Amy, and two dull, lifeless eyes, suddenly met her worried green ones. And with a weak voice, he finally replied. "I don't know...I don't remember..."
1. Blood

**Blood**

Blood.

Sonic was standing, staring at the blood spilled all over the ground, the red liquid lit by the moon above, contrasting with the green grass stained by it. There was blood all over the ground, all around him.

He just stood there, gaping at the blood, unable to move. He was far too shocked to make a move. His legs were frozen on the spot. He'd never seen so much blood…and he knew it couldn't be his.

Slowly, he began to walk, looking for anything that would give him some clue of where he was, but none of the trees or the valleys helped him. He was completely lost. But he didn't care. He just wanted to get out of here, get that blood off of his hands. He didn't want to see any more of it; he wanted it to just disappear.

He looked up to the moon, only to realize just then it was nighttime. But then, out of the millions of stars in the sky, he saw a couple of them moving…and getting closer.

It was the X-Tornado. And inside it, were three very worried passengers. Tails, Amy and Knuckles hadn't seen or talked to Sonic for three days straight. At first they thought he just wanted to be alone. But then, people began to disappear for no reason, but still Sonic hadn't shown up. Eventually, Tails decided to go look for him, and after hours of looking, there finally found him. But what was he doing near a forest, so far away from home?

"Sonic!" screamed Amy from the cabin, glad to see the hero at last. Amy had been so worried. She had spent three days looking for Sonic, but she never even caught a glimpse of him, not even heard a sonic boom around. She knew that he run away from her…but not even seeing him, she knew something was going on. She pressured Tails to go look for him. At first he was reluctant to use the X-Tornado just for that purpose…but after people went missing, she realized that something serious was going on.

"Stay there, Sonic!" Tails screamed, hoping he could hear him. As soon as he heard the news that people were going missing, Tails was sure that Sonic would show up to try and find out what was going on...but he never did. In fact, that was the exact time that the hedgehog himself had gone missing. And in the back of his head, Tails couldn't help but suspect that the two were somehow related.

"Well, finally. About time he showed up," Knuckles commented, trying to look upset. After all, Sonic left without saying anything, left them worried and now they had to go looking for him. Of course Knuckles was upset, he did his best to hide his own worry, which grew with every report of someone disappearing. Where was Sonic when something like this was happening and what was he doing?

Finally, the X-Tornado landed, and Amy went running to greet him after what felt like an eternity to her. "Sonic! I'm so happy to see again! I thought…" Amy started, but suddenly stopped to a halt only a few feet away from him when she looked into his eyes.

His eyes…there was something wrong with them. There was no excitement, no happiness in those orbs. She gazed into them even further, and found…pain. There was no spark of joy in his eyes; it had been replaced by something dull and grey. Even the color of his eyes seemed to be a grayish green, not the lively and joyful green she had admired so many times.

Something was very, very wrong. That's when she took her gaze off his eyes and looked at him properly, and saw all the blood, staining his body a dark red.

"Sonic? Wha…what happened? Are you okay?" Amy asked, both worried and a little afraid to know. Was he hurt? Was that his blood? No, there was too much of it. Then…why was Sonic covered in blood that wasn't his? "Sonic?" Amy asked, noticing that Sonic didn't seem to be hearing her, not even looking at her.

Tails and Knuckles showed up behind her, both of them just as surprised to see Sonic covered in blood, not even looking at them. He seemed to be someplace else, so far away. They exchanged glances, both of them asking what happened. Amy wanted to hug him, to make sure that the Sonic she'd been missing for so long was there, but the blood...she was afraid to come close.

"Sonic? Sonic, can you hear me?" Amy asked again, a little closer this time, trying to see if she could get through to him. Finally, Sonic looked at her, seeing the worry in her face. "Sonic, are you okay? What happened?"

Sonic finally moved turned to look at his hands, contemplating at the blood. After a moment of thinking, Sonic turned his eyes to Amy, and with a weak voice, he answered.

"I don't know, I…I don't remember. I don't know what happened…" he said, looking at Amy, his eyes almost screaming for help. "I don't know…" he repeated.

Amy gasped in shock. What? He didn't remember? What did he do? He didn't…hurt anyone, did he?

_No, of course not. Don't be silly, Sonic wouldn't hurt anyone._

_But still, why all the blood?_

"Sonic, we've got to leave. Let's go, and you can get yourself cleaned up," Knuckles interjected, not bothering to hide the hint of worry in his tone. He never saw Sonic like this, covered in blood and with his head completely lost. Right now he didn't want to worry why he was like this, he didn't seem to remember. He just wanted to make sure he was okay. "Let's go," he repeated, and began to walk towards the X-Tornado.

"Sonic, are you hurt? Any cuts, bleeds, concussion?" Tails asked in pure worry. He'd never imagined seeing the hero covered in blood. After a slight head shake from Sonic meaning no, they began to walk back to the ship.

This wasn't like Sonic at all. Silent, slow and quiet. Something was really wrong with him, and wanted to ask so badly what was wrong, but restrained herself. She decided to wait until they got back before asking any questions. Sonic was back, and that was enough. He didn't seem to have any cuts or bruises in him, nor any massive bleedings. But still, the blood made him almost a surreal sight, and she'd try to clean him up as soon as possible.

"Sonic, would you like me to clean you up?" Amy asked, already wondering if there were any tissues onboard the ship.

After a slight pause, Sonic replied with a simple, "I'm fine," without even looking at her. He didn't even seem to care that the blood was starting to dry up.

Once everyone was back at the ship, Tails started to power it up again, trying to let his mind go from Sonic, but it was very hard. The most important question in his head was what to do with him. Obviously, he'd been through a very rough night. But could he be trusted to be left alone after this? Tails was convinced that at least for tonight, Sonic would need some company. It would do him some good not to be alone tonight. Trying to focus, he powered up the ship and took off, ready to drop off everyone and get a good night's sleep.

Amy never took her eyes off Sonic, who was sitting right behind her. Amy wanted to hug him so much, as three days without even seeing him was too much, but now Sonic was…different. She couldn't help but notice that he was awfully quiet all the way, just staring out the window, not complaining to have to sit still in such a little space. Amy was worried and almost afraid. It was as if Sonic wasn't even here.

"Sonic?" she called and he turned his head towards her. "Are you okay?" she asked, hoping to at least hear him talk. For a moment, Sonic hesitated to answer, but for Amy, it seemed like he was never going to answer. His face seemed to be stuck. Sonic didn't even move a muscle; his lips didn't twitch, his eyes didn't even move, only his eyebrows moved.

"I'll be fine," He answered simply, not even smiling.

Amy didn't really believe it. There was something wrong with him. She didn't know what, but she knew that this wasn't the same Sonic she knew and loved. She turned around and sighed in worry. What happened out there? What did they do to him? Why was covered in blood? Amy couldn't get these questions out of her head. But one thing was clear: Amy would do anything to help him and find out what happened. She would do anything to get back the Sonic she loved.

* * *

"Thanks for dropping me off, Tails," Knuckles said as he hopped out of the X-Tornado, landing near the Master Emerald Shrine. "See ya later." he added, and Tails took off, this time headed for Amy's house, leaving Knuckles pondering. He knew that something had happened, why else would Sonic act so weirdly? It was true that he didn't always like his attitude, which sometimes seemed to him so childish and careless. But this was serious. Sonic didn't seem to be showing any emotion at all.

"Maybe I should check if he's okay tomorrow…" he said to himself, wondering if it would be a good idea. He had no idea how he could help him, or if leaving the Master Emerald for just an hour for him would be a risk worth taking. Nevertheless, he was worried, and he wanted to know what was going on.

Once again, an awkward silence filled the air. Sonic hardly said anything the whole trip and he seemed lost in a distant world. Amy keep turning and looking at him, asking herself the same questions over and over again, but never receiving any answers, only increasing worry.

"Don't worry, Sonic," Amy said softly, if only to break the silence. "We'll clean you up, and you'll be just fine," she added with a weak smile, hoping that Sonic would return the favor.

But he only gave her a small glance, and then turned back to look out the window, not even giving her a polite smile. Sonic didn't want to look at her, not now. Everything was just too unclear in his head; it distracted him from everything else. He kept trying to recall anything, an image, a clue…but nothing. It was all just blurs in his mind, not a clear memory came to him.

_I sure hope so, Amy. I sure hope so…_

"Actually, I need to do something before we do that," Tails suddenly piped up, as the idea struck him in his head. He didn't have the equipment to do it himself, but it would clear the mystery a bit…

"What's that?" Amy added, reluctantly turning his eyes and attention away from Sonic and towards the fox, wondering what else could be more important than cleaning the blood off the blue hedgehog.

"I think we should take blood samples," Tails said firmly, convinced that it would be the best thing to do. "Before we go to bed, we should take some blood from Sonic, both his own and some of what's on him."

Amy raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Why? What are you thinking about, Tails?" she asked with suspicion. What was Tails up to now?

"I need to…see something," he said cryptically, not willing to share. If he told her, it was possible she wouldn't agree with him, or perhaps even stop him from doing so.

"And what's that?" Amy asked, her green eyes filled with worry. What did he want to do with Sonic?

Tails didn't answer, keeping his mouth shut stubbornly. He just wanted to see if there was anything suspicious with the blood, and if the samples would answer some questions about what might've happened.

"Tails, what is it?" she asked as her eyes narrowed in anger.

"We're here." Tails said with a sigh, relieved that they were already at Amy's house and didn't have to deal with an angry Amy.

"Fine." she said, and reluctantly got off the ship, unhappy to have to leave Sonic after days of not seeing him. She didn't even get a chance of giving him a hug or telling him that she loved him when she finally did see him, either. Amy missed so much that small moment where she would actually be hugging him so much, as it would be another chance to prove her undying love. And now she'd spend the entire night worrying about him. Speaking of which…

"Wait, Tails!" she asked, turning around and sneaking a glance at her broken hero. "Where will Sonic spend the night?"

Tails turned to look at Amy, and then back at Sonic. Honestly, he'd just assumed that Sonic would spend the night with him, sleeping in his spare room. He should've known that Amy would try to get Sonic to spend the night with her.

"He'll spend the night with me. But first I have to get him to a hospital where they'll examine the blood," he answered, and with this he fired up the engines. "Good night, Amy," Tails added, and took off, leaving a very worried Amy behind. Amy lingered on her doorway, not willing to rest just yet, not until she knew what to do next.

"I'll go visit him tomorrow. He seemed so lost, almost like he was trapped inside his head," she said to herself, and then entered her home, ready to rest and leave her worries behind for the night.

"Don't worry, Sonic. Just a few minutes and then we'll be finished," the fox tried to reassure his big brother once they were alone and in the sky again, but it didn't seem to make any difference. Sonic was still awfully quiet, not his usual positive self. Tails was trying to figure out why he was he seemed so…detached from everything else.

"Tails?" Sonic said, surprising Tails. "What's going on?"

Tails gave a sigh of relief. At least he seemed interested to know about the situation. "Well, I don't know if you remember, but you've been gone for three days, Sonic," Tails turned to look at the hedgehog, wondering how he'd react, but Sonic just seemed contemplative, a rare thing indeed.

"And…ever since you left, people have been disappearing." the fox added, still suspicious of the situation. Could it be that all this was a new tactic by Eggman? Was all this the evil doctor's doing? If it was, it was a pretty good plan.

Sonic absorbed all the information, immersed in his own thoughts. He knew that there was something strange going on. But why couldn't he remember?

"There it is." Tails said from his seat, looking at the hospital, located far away. He started thinking of a good place to leave the X-Tornado, whilst Sonic was still trying to bring back any memories.

If there was one thing Tails knew, it was that it wasn't a good idea for Sonic, the renowned hero, to show up in a hospital covered in blood after nobody had seen him for three days. But if the blood could give any clues as to what happened to him, then they would have to take the risk.

* * *

"Alright, you'll feel a slight pinch. Stay still," the doctor said while inserting a needle into Sonic's arm and watched the red liquid pour into the small tube.

Sonic, Tails and the doctor, an elderly cat named Anthony, were all in a small exam room. It wasn't much to look at: white, boring walls, drawers with needles and various tools, a poster about the dangers of smoking in a corner. Sonic was sitting in a plain chair, with Anthony standing beside, while Tails was just trying to catch his breath.

"You alright there, little fella?" asked Anthony, noticing the young fox's breathing patterns and sweat.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that we had to run to get here," replied Tails, glad to see that Anthony seemed to be a caring doctor. Anthony didn't seem to be shocked in the least at the sight of all that blood. He was already used to it.

"Well, I understand that young heroes such as Sonic deserve medical attention," he replied, taking a look at the silent, pensive hedgehog. "But rushing in like that and asking for a doctor with such urgency is a bit rude, don't you think?"

"We didn't want too many people to see Sonic like this." Tails explained. "I'm sorry, but you know how fan crowds can be."

"Don't you think running like that in a hospital attracts people's attention?" he remarked a little slyly, and removed the needle from Sonic's arm when he noticed he had enough blood to run tests. "Alright, that's enough. Now you just have to clean him up."

"Actually…I'd like you to take some samples of that blood too," Tails added, hoping the doctor wouldn't get suspicious.

"What, you mean…that? Alright, I'll do it. But if you don't me asking, why do you want me to test it? Are you looking for something in particular?" Anthony asked as he started to take pieces of the dried blood with his gloves. Anthony knew that being a hero could sometimes suffer injuries, but there certainly was something fishy about this.

"Well…" the fox started, but looked at Sonic. Would it be a good idea to let him know?

Anthony noticed that he didn't want to share this in front of Sonic, so he approached the fox with his back against the hedgehog. "Something you'd want me to keep a secret?"

Sonic watched Tails turn his back against him and whisper something into the doctor's ear. He couldn't make out any of Tails' words. Soon however, he became immersed deep in his own thoughts. He forgot that there was anybody else with him in the room.

_What's happening to me? Why can't I remember? I don't feel like myself…I don't think I feel much of anything…_

"Alright. Ready to go, Sonic?" Tails said, snapping Sonic out of his thoughts. The hedgehog nodded and got up, and started to walk towards the door.

"You know…" Anthony said, and looked at Sonic with curiosity. "He doesn't seem like the Sonic I've heard so much about."

"What do you mean?" Tails asked, though he had actually thought the same thing all along.

"Well, I've seen him on television many times. He was always with a smile on his face, never staying still. Always full of energy, never stopping for anything. He doesn't seem like that. Maybe he's just different in person," the doctor explained.

"Well…I don't know why, but he's being acting weird," Tails said, not willing to say too much.

"I guess he just had a strange night. But he can always talk to someone about it. Well boys, I've got more patients waiting for me. Have a good night," he waved the fox and the hedgehog goodbye, and the two heroes started to make their way back to the ship, back to Tails' place.


	2. Denial

**Denial**

Sonic opened his eyes. All he could see was a dimly lit greenish ceiling. Had he been sleeping? Where was he?

That's when he remembered. His friends found him outside a forest, covered in blood. He went onboard the X-Tornado, dropped off Knuckles and Amy, went to a hospital, they took his blood, and then left, walking slowly through the hallways…where everyone kept staring at him with fear. He could feel their eyes on him, the questions on everyone's minds, and the fear on their eyes as they gaped at the blood that covered his body…

Sonic shook that memory off his head, and then remembered him and Tails hopping on the X-Tornado and going back to Tails' place, where the fox told him to clean up the blood. He washed it off in the bathroom, and then Tails made a spare room for him to sleep in. The next thing he knew, he was awake, yet for some reason, he didn't feel like he had relaxed. He didn't feel like he had gotten a good night's sleep, his mind was still cloudy and messy, even though his body was relaxed and healthy.

_I just…don't know what to do. I guess I could go out on a run, but I don't think it'll do anything._

_What are you talking about, man? Running has always helped._

_Yeah, but…I don't know. I just don't feel like myself._

_Stop sulking over nothing. You can just sit here and worry or you can go outside and try and forget all this._

Even though he still wasn't convinced, Sonic got up and put his sneakers and gloves. He was ready to go, yet he had no desire to go outside. He just didn't find it exciting right now. But what else could he do? He couldn't think of anything else. He was just about to leave the room when Tails opened the door from the other side and popped his head in the room.

"Hey, Sonic," Tails added, glad to see Sonic was awake.

"Hey, Tails," Sonic replied in a low voice, not willing to meet his eyes. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. "I think I'll be going for a run now," he added, even though he didn't make a move to leave the room. Something was holding his legs in place, stopping him from running away.

"Amy and Knuckles are here. They want to talk to you. We want to talk to you," Tails said firmly but gently. When Sonic turned to look at him, appearing confused, Tails cleared his throat. "We're worried about you, Sonic. We didn't see you for days. And then you show up out of nowhere covered in blood…we just want to help you, Sonic," he said with worry towards his big brother.

"I don't need help," Sonic spat, sounding a bit more rude than he intended. "I'm fine, Tails. I was just…confused."

"Sonic, do you remember what happened?" Tails asked a bit more sternly. He wasn't going to let him leave like this until Sonic talked to his friends.

"No, I don't. Look, what does it matter?" Sonic answered and looked into Tails' troubled eyes. Even though he felt confused and lost, he didn't want to show it. He wanted to ignore this, pretend it didn't happen, anything that would make it go away. "Running has always helped me. Either I remember while on a run, and then I'll talk, or I'll just forget it, and we can go back to the way things were."

Tails kept staring at him with apprehension. Running was typical of Sonic, no doubt…but this was different. He was being distant and trying to ignore this, rather than his usual confident and confronting self. Sonic was acting different. Clearly, whatever happened out there changed him.

"It wouldn't hurt to talk to your friends, Sonic," Tails tried to reason, but Sonic just ignored him and walked out of the room.

_Why can't you leave me alone? I just want to run away. What good does talking do? None._

Sonic had just entered the living room, when he felt a powerful force around him, crushing his bones.

"Oh, Sonic!" Amy squealed as he gave the blue hedgehog a crushing hug, more than excited to see the hero once again, and without any blood this time. "Sonic, I missed you so much! I've been waiting four whole days for you to be with me, and now you're here!"

But Sonic wasn't feeling the same. Feeling crushed and tied to the spot, he pushed her away, a little bit too harshly than he meant. Amy looked at him with obvious hurt, but his eyes didn't show anything. They were still cold, grayish, dull.

Seeing her face, Sonic felt the guilt in his heart. "Sorry," he said in a low voice, not willing to face her. Man, what was wrong with him? Why was he acting like this? He didn't even mean to do that to Amy, but something just wasn't right inside him.

"That's no way to treat your friends, you know," Knuckles added, standing a few feet behind Amy. He had his arms crossed, and he'd been tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for the hero to show up. "We take the time to visit you and that's how you greet us," he continued with a hint of annoyance. He didn't like being far from the Master Emerald. He always feared that Eggman would strike at just the right time.

"I said I'm sorry," Sonic added, if only to try and leave. He hated being forced to be in one place, especially if someone was giving him a lecture.

"Sonic, we're not here to force you to do anything," Tails remarked, as he entered the room and stood in front of him. "We just want to talk to you, see if we can help you."

_What do they know? They have no idea what happened to me._

_Yeah, but neither do you. Maybe talking to them will help. Perhaps they can help you remember what happened. Isn't that what bothers you?_

_I don't feel like talking to them, or anyone. I just want to leave everything behind and forget. Just go back to the way it was._

"I don't think you can help me," Sonic replied, showing no interest in opening up.

"You could at least try to tell us what you think happened," Knuckles insisted, already annoyed. He didn't want to leave Sonic like this; he certainly wasn't in his best shape. But if kept rejecting their help and didn't cooperate one bit, then this was a wasted trip.

"I told you, I don't know what happened," Sonic insisted in a frustrating tone, wishing everyone would just leave him alone already. "Maybe…maybe it's best if I don't remember," he said out loud, and it took him a moment to realize that everyone else heard that.

"Well, that's just great," Knuckles blurted out in annoyance. "I come all this way to help you, I give you my time and you just don't care at all. I'm going back," he finished, and then left the house, wishing that Sonic were a little more cooperative. Didn't he understand what was at stake? People were missing, and he could've seen something or someone that had to do with it. But the guy just stood there and denied the clear fact that there was something wrong with him. So much for helping him out.

"Don't pay attention to him. He's just worried, and doesn't know how to show it," Amy reassured Sonic from inside Tails' house. She sometimes hated Knuckles for being so rude to others, especially to Sonic. She took another glance at the hero; it was obvious that he needed help. Something was bothering him, even if he kept saying that it'd be best to do nothing about it.

"Sonic, why did you say that it'd would be best if you didn't remember what happened to you?" Amy asked, her heart suffering from seeing Sonic like this. "I'm sure that whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant, but don't you want to know?"

"I don't what to know…because I know that I went through something horrible," the other hedgehog replied, trying to keep his imagination from creating images of whatever happened that night, or anything that he might've done to anyone…

"I know, but…" Amy tried to go on, but she knew that Sonic was right. Someone might've done something terrible to him; it certainly wouldn't be nice to remember. But she talked with Tails earlier; she knew that Sonic most likely knew something about the missing people. She knew that they had to make him remember, even if it hurt. "I'm just trying to help you, Sonic."

"I told you, I'm fine, I don't need help. Why do you care so much, anyway?" Sonic asked, now starting to get frustrated, nothing seemed to get this girl off his back.

"Sonic, don't you see? You're not acting like yourself. Something happened, and it changed you. I just want you to help you get through this," Amy pleaded, silently begging him that she'd let her talk to him. She just wanted to see that handsome smile of his, that playful attitude. "I know that you could've seen some awful things, like feeling lost or lonely, somebody attacked you, or someone getting hurt…"

Someone getting hurt…those words suddenly made Sonic's mind pay attention. Why was the thought of someone getting hurt so…disturbing? Almost like…he'd seen that, seen someone suffer in pain before, somewhere in his forgotten memory.

An image flashed on Sonic's mind. It only lasted an instant, but it was enough. An image of someone covered in blood, screaming in pain for help…someone dying. And that image seemed…familiar. He'd seen it before.

He immediately closed his eyes and turned his head away, trying to get that image out of his head, trying to forget that sight. That image…that happened in front of him, he knew that. It was too much of a painful sight for him to bear it even one more second.

Amy saw this, and her eyes got big with worry and fear. What was happening to him? Was he remembering something?

"Sonic…" she started, trying to put her hand in Sonic's shoulder, if only to help him calm down.

"Leave me alone!" he said harshly, and then took off immediately, running away as fast as possible, leaving a hurt Amy behind, her eyes wet, threatening to send tears down her face and muzzle.

"Sonic, why are you doing this?" she wondered out loud, trying to hold back the tears. Sonic had rejected her before, turned down her hugs and her love, but this…this was too much. To be pushed away without a care was not something Amy had ever seen from him.

"It'll be okay," Amy heard, and turned around to look at the young fox who was trying to reassure her. "He'll come around eventually. I'm sure he'll feel much better after a run," Tails continued, trying to reassure not only Amy, but his own mind as well. But it was Sonic. This guy could get through anything and it was only a matter of time until he realized that he'll do much better if he let his friends help him.

"I sure hope you're right, Tails," she replied softly, her heart still hurting from those words. Sonic didn't want her trying to help him, but it only made her want to do so even stronger. "I don't know why I came, I only made things worse. Goodbye Tails," Amy finished, and then left the dining room, and Tails heard the sound of his front door closing, leaving him alone.

So, helping Sonic wouldn't be as easy as he thought it would be. He knew that Sonic wasn't a very talkative guy, but the way he just pushed her away, that was too harsh for him. He was wondering if he should talk to someone who knew about this, someone who-

The phone rang loudly, snapping Tails out of his own thoughts. Wondering who would call him, he walked to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Is this Miles Prower?" a strangely familiar voice replied, making Tails wonder where he'd heard that voice before.

"Yes, this is Tails. I mean, Miles," the fox had to correct, not used to answer to his first name.

"Miles, this is Dr. Anthony Hilpert," the doctor stated, sounding just as respectful and professional as Tails remembered him.

"Oh, hello doctor," Tails replied, happy to hear that voice again. He'd forgotten all about him today, but now he anxious to know what the doctor had found.

"You don't happen to be busy right now?" the doctor asked, knowing that this news would be best received without distractions.

"No, not at all. Did you get the blood results?" Tails asked impatiently. He was hoping the doctor would calm his conscience and answer some of his questions.

The fox heard a sigh from the other end of the telephone. He didn't think that was a good sign. "Yes, I have. I have thoroughly examined Sonic's blood, and there's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing missing, all the numbers are right. He's perfectly healthy."

But for some reason, the doctor's voice seemed to indicate that there was something wrong. Tails knew that that tone of voice meant that the doctor had found something else.

"What about…the other blood?" the fox asked softly, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Well, I ran DNA tests on all samples, like you wanted me to do, and I'm afraid your suspicious were right," the doctor added with a heavy voice.

"You mean…" Tails started, with his throat just didn't let him finish, knowing what those words meant.

"I'm afraid that the blood matches the DNA of some of those that have disappeared for the past days. I'm sorry," the doctor finished, knowing what the facts implied.

Tails didn't answer. He was too shocked to say anything; he let the receiver slip off his hand, falling to the floor. If the blood on Sonic matched some of the people that disappeared, then that might mean that…

_Sonic…what happened out there?_

_Please Sonic; please tell me that you are not responsible for this. Don't tell me that you are the one that…_

_Sonic…what did you do?_

* * *

The leaves rustled and the dust flew off the ground as a blue blur passed through, every minute going faster and faster.

Sonic was running his heart out, going as fast as possible, trying desperately to get that image off his head, trying to shake it off with speed. But no matter how fast his legs pumped, how fast his feet took him; he could never get rid of that image.

But it wasn't just that image. Ever since he left, he kept seeing more and more images. All of them full of blood, full of pain, yet never really remembering what happened. He tried to focus on the blurry objects and the sounds around him, but it didn't work. He kept seeing flashes of those mysterious days.

_Why can't I stop seeing all those images, but never remember?_

_Maybe…I caused all that pain…_

_Don't be ridiculous, Sonic. You'd never hurt anyone. You don't even hurt Eggman when you have the chance. There's no way you could've done that to innocent people._

_But how can I know if I can't remember? Maybe…all this is guilt, my mind telling me what I've done._

Sonic regained focus quickly enough to avoid bumping into a tree. Usually, his head would be clear as the sky when running, but now everything was…blurry and foggy. He knew nothing for sure.

_That can't be it. Stop worrying so much. I'm sure there's a reason why all that happened._

_But why did I forget?_

_Maybe…I wanted to forget. Maybe I saw something so horrible, that I didn't want to ever remember that. And my mind…just turned off._

_But there's people missing. And you know that you probably had something to do with it, or whoever was taking all those people. You need to remember, especially if Egg-head is the one making people disappear. You may have inside your head the key to this mystery._

_I can't remember anything; all I have is flashes…_

Just then, another mental flash hit Sonic's head, once again showing pain. He tightly shut his eyes and clenched his teeth in an attempt to push that thought out of his head. Man, what did he do to deserve-

Sonic suddenly felt something trip his foot, and the next thing he knew, he was rolling around on the ground, his body scratched and poked by rocks and fallen branches. He felt his skin being cut, his quills bending in pain. And when he stopped rolling, he felt a shooting pain in his leg.

Sonic screamed loudly in anguish, feeling his legs protesting and burning in agony. He whimpered on the ground for a minute, before shakily climbing to sit upright, his grayish eyes darting to his aching left leg. It was bleeding badly, red liquid gushing out and staining the ground. He felt the muscles inside his leg pulling strongly, only making the pain worse.

He grabbed his legs, trying to soothe the pain, but to no avail. Nothing seemed to go right.

_This is it, right? I'm being punished for what I've done…_

Another flash crossed his mind, only this time it lingered on Sonic's mind for a second. He was standing over someone. But he wasn't screaming, not asking for help. He was dead, lying motionless near him, blood covering the blue hedgehog's hands.

_What have I done?_


	3. Company

**Company**

Sonic kept a firm grip on his leg, if only to try and suppress the need to scream. The pain was burning his muscles, and he could feel his leg throbbing from the blood that kept pouring out of his wound. He let out a soft cry, cursing himself for being so careless. Now he was alone in the middle of a road, unable to move. It seemed like he was stuck here, as nobody knew he was there.

"Hello? Is there anybody out there?"

Sonic heard that voice coming towards him, but he couldn't bring himself to turn his head. But he didn't need to; he knew that voice very well, it could only belong to a certain pink hedgehog.

"Sonic! Are you okay?" Amy asked, running towards him, wondering why he seemed to be whimpering. But as soon as her eyes found his injury, she stopped dead in her tracks and gasped with shock and horror. It looked like a huge red scar on his leg, bleeding to no end.

"What happened to you?" she asked, not daring to come closer.

"I'm not sure," he answered, trying to hold back his whimpers. "I think I tripped on something," he concluded, wondering how Amy got to him so fast. Had she been following him?

"Sonic, we need to get you out of here," the girl asserted with anxiety. She tried to examine his wound, but the blood made it impossible to see how deep the injury went. "My house is only a short walk down that way," Amy offered, knowing it'd be the best thing to do.

"I can do this myself," Sonic spat, and used his hands to try and stand up, but as soon as he put his left leg firmly on the ground, he felt as though needles were piercing his muscles. Unable to hold himself, he fell once again to the floor, his face greeted by the hard ground, adding insult to injury.

"I don't think I can walk," Sonic complained before biting his lip again. It felt as if something was stabbing his muscles. He felt weak, but still fought the need to scream.

"I'll help you up," Amy replied, trying to sound strong, but seeing Sonic like this only made her heart shrink in fear and worry. Sonic looked at her, almost defiant, trying to be left alone for once, but he knew that if he stayed here, the pain would only make him even more miserable. "Fine," was all he replied.

Amy grabbed one of his arms, put it over her head, and Sonic grabbed her shoulder while Amy did the same with his. When both of them were ready, they stood up, Sonic raising his left leg over the ground, trying to avoid using it to step on. And this way, Sonic hopping on one leg and Amy holding him and balancing him, they walked towards her house.

"Were you following me?" Sonic asked with suspicion.

"No!" she said defensively, but Sonic gave her a look that meant that he knew that it wasn't quite true. "Well, maybe a little at first. But you told me to stay away…and I did," she clarified, trying to hide the hurt and avoid remembering the way he pushed her away. "But I heard screaming, and I wanted to help, and you just happened to be near my house," Amy concluded, not quite believing her luck. What were the chances that Sonic got stranded so close to her?

The first thing that Sonic did at soon as he entered Amy's home was to just lie to the couch, letting his leg dangle. Thankfully, the pain had toned down, but it was still there. Right now, he just wanted to rest.

Amy, however, wasted no time, and as soon as she saw Sonic lie down, she looked for her first aid kit in her bathroom. As soon as she found the box, she immediately went back to her living room. She left the kit on the table, and looker for a wet cloth to clean Sonic with. She quickly found one, went back to the living room and kneeled in front of Sonic. As soon as Sonic realized what she was about to do, he grabbed her arm, a bit too roughly for her.

"Can't you just leave it alone?" he pleaded, tired of being surrounded with questions and people trying to take care of him.

"I can't. I need to make sure the wound is clean and doesn't get infected," she said firmly. If Sonic wasn't going to help her, then she'd have to do it by force. "You need to let me do this, Sonic," she said in a softer tone, showing that she didn't mean any harm.

Sonic blinked. Why did he find it to so hard to just trust Amy to do what he knew was the right thing? Why did he fight so much when she was just trying to help? Sonic nodded his head, letting Amy clean him up, and she started by wiping all the dried blood from his leg, which was harder that it looked.

Once she was finished, she threw the red-dyed piece of cloth aside, and took out from the kit the germ cleaner. "This'll sting," she warned, but Sonic made no gesture, so she assumed he was letting her continue. But as soon as the liquid touched his skin, Sonic winced and immediately retreated. He felt as though it burned.

"Come on, Sonic. No pain, no gain," Amy pointed out, now getting angry at him if he was going to put up a fight every step of the way. "It's just a couple of drops and it's over."

Sonic wanted to protest, but having tried that and knowing it wouldn't work, he extended his leg again, and Amy wasted no time in applying more drops. Sonic winced and grabbed the pillows of the couch tightly, but it only lasted a few more seconds. "You can let go now," Amy said, causing the blue hedgehog to finally relax and let his breathing cycle down as he lied down on the soft cushions. "All that's left is putting a bandage, and I'm finished," Amy added with more cheerfulness, trying to make him feel better.

Thankfully, Sonic didn't resist this last part, and soon enough, the wound was taken care of. But Sonic still felt the pain underneath the cloth, but he wasn't going to let a little pain stop him from doing what he wanted. Sonic took a breath and stood up, and immediately regretted it. The minute the pressure of his own weight rested on his leg, a shooting pain went straight up, making him wince and fall back on the couch, the familiar pain coming back.

"You can't stand up?" Amy asked with concern. Apparently, the injury went deeper than she thought if his leg couldn't handle the weight.

"No, my leg just won't let me…" Sonic replied, cursing to himself. At least he was thankful that as soon as he sat back down, the leg stopped protesting and burning. He sat down, trying to calm down his breathing and heartbeats.

"I'm afraid you're stuck here, Sonic," Amy said trying to sound sympathetic, but actually feeling a bit excited at the prospect that Sonic was in her house. They were alone, together. And Sonic couldn't leave. Oh my…

_I can't believe this is happening. Oh, finally! A chance to hold him, hug him, maybe even get to kiss him…_

_Amy, focus. Sonic's in pain, he's not in the mood for any of that._

_Oh, but this could be my only chance! I haven't seen him in days, and I just want to tell him how much I love him, and hold him forever…_

_Amy, he doesn't need someone talking to him about romance and love right now. He needs someone that can take care of him, someone that can help him get through this._

While Amy was having this internal conflict, Sonic was slowly realizing what getting stuck with Amy meant. It meant crushing hugs, hours spent with a girl with a huge crush on him, who wouldn't waste a chance in asking him to get married as soon as he could walk down an aisle. He prepared himself for the surge of adrenaline and anxiety to run through his veins.

"I promise I won't hurt you," Amy said in a low voice. "Even if it means…not hugging you," she added. Sonic looked at her with disbelief, not sure if he heard that right. But he could see in her face her honesty. Her lips were flat, no joy or sadness. She was serious. And he felt relief over his body, knowing that Amy wouldn't hurt him.

Amy looked away. She didn't know why, but seeing him like this made her heart hurt. He looked so vulnerable, in so much pain, more than he admitted. Did Sonic know what it was like, to have someone so handsome, so good-hearted, so irresistible in front of you, and not return any love? How could she contain her hugs and words when she loved him more than anything, wanted just to be held by him?

_But still, I'll try to do it. For him…if he just needs me to be a friend, then…I'll just be that. A friend._

It hurt Amy to admit that that was all that Sonic could ever want from her. But she also knew that she wasn't the only one in pain, and that she should help Sonic get through this horrible experience.

"Thanks, Amy," Sonic said, glad to see that Amy wasn't being the clingy and hyper-active fangirl he wanted to avoid, but just being an understanding friend. Sonic sighed, and relaxed his body on the couch, tired from the painful experience.

"You're welcome," Amy replied, and gazed into his eyes. They were still gray and dull, a scar of the pain he must've suffered when he was out there. Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. "I'll be right back, Sonic. I just have to call someone, okay?"

"Fine," Sonic breathed. Right now he just wanted to let his body get the rest it needed, especially since he didn't feel like he got a good night's sleep.

Sonic got up and walked towards the telephone. She hesitated for a second, before picking up the receiver entering the familiar numbers. She waited for a moment before she heard a voice on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Tails? It's me, Amy," the hedgehog replied, though that voice didn't sound like Tails'. Wait, was that…

"No, it's Cream. Hi Amy!" a rabbit answered, surprising Amy. Cream was there? What she doing in Tails' house? Tails invited her, didn't he?

"Hi Cream!" Amy exclaimed, happy to talk to her friend anyway. "How are you? Everything okay?"

"Yes, I just came here to visit Tails. You wanted to talk to him?" Cream asked while giving a look at Tails. The fox was seated on his couch, he seemed…worried, thinking about something. It was probably because of Sonic. She knew something wasn't right, as everyone had been talking about Sonic for a while, and nobody had seen him for a few days.

"Oh, right. Is Tails there?" Amy wanted to ask Cream why she was really there, but it seemed like Cream wasn't interested in sharing. Besides, she could just ask Tails.

"Yes, he's right here," the rabbit answered and took another glance at Tails. He seemed so…worried. Like something was wrong. But what was it? Did something bad happen to Sonic? Whatever it was, she'd have to wait. "Tails, Amy's on the phone. She wants to talk to you."

Tails stood up and walked over to the phone and took the receiver. "Thanks Cream," he said to the rabbit while giving a weak smile. "Hello, Amy."

"Hi Tails. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, just fine," the fox said, trying to hide his worry. Ever since he found out about Sonic, he spent the whole time thinking, wondering if Sonic could've hurt somebody. On one hand, Sonic would never hurt innocent people. That was the truth. And yet…all the evidence was pointing to the opposite direction.

"So, Tails…wanna tell me what you and Cream are doing all by yourselves?" the hedgehog asked playfully, dying to know. Did the little fox finally gather the courage to spend some time with a girl?

"She just came by to visit…and I'm glad she did," Tails answered. He spent way too much time worrying, and his head was hurting, when all of a sudden, he heard the bell ring, and there was Cream, visiting and checking if they had finally found Sonic. It was just…nice to have some company, somebody to spend time with.

"Oh, really?" Amy inquired. Was Tails admitting that he was glad that Cream was there with him?

"Yeah, I've been feeling down about Sonic," Tails replied, suddenly reminding Amy why she was calling in the first place.

"Tails, a couple of minutes ago I found Sonic injured near my house. He tripped and hurt his leg, badly. He was bleeding a lot," Amy informed Tails, surprising and worrying even more the fox.

"What? He is okay?" he almost screamed, scaring Cream a little bit. Tails composed himself, trying to control his emotions.

"He's fine. I took him to my house and took care of his leg, but he can't walk. I'm so worried about him. He's still acting weird, almost like…he's not the Sonic I know," Amy admitted. She didn't want to think about it too much, but he really was being unlike the hero she lived. That really wasn't Sonic.

Tails absorbed all the information. All this only made him think even more…could Sonic really be guilty? It would certainly explain everything, even his odd behavior.

_Maybe he really…_

_No, that can't be it. There has to be another explanation._

_Tails, look at the evidence. People started going missing the day Sonic disappears, and he comes back covered in blood, and his behavior suggests that he did something that he deeply regrets._

_No! Sonic wouldn't do that! There must be another reason._

_But right now, Sonic is with Amy, and neither one of them will leave._

_Then Amy will have to talk to Sonic. Which means I'll have to tell her…_

Tails cleared his throat, thinking what would be the best way to tell her. "Amy…" Tails hesitated, unsure of how Amy would react. Just then, he turned towards Cream, still unaware that they found Sonic last night, or that people were missing. Vanilla protected her daughter from all those terrible news. He continued in a lower voice, to make sure she didn't hear. "Last night, I took Sonic to a hospital. And I had his blood analyzed, and I…asked the doctor to run DNA tests on the blood."

"What?" was all Amy could reply. She fell silent for a second. Why would Tails do that? "What did you find out, Tails?" Amy questioned, realizing that that was what Tails had been planning last night.

"Sonic's fine. There's nothing physically wrong with him. But the DNA tests…" Tails stopped. He knew Amy wouldn't accept it, but it was the only way to make sure she understood how serious this situation was. "The DNA of the blood that was on Sonic matches that of some of the missing people." Tails only heard silence from the other end of the line.

_But that would mean…_

_No…no, that isn't true. No, Sonic would never…it just isn't possible!_

_You know that Tails wouldn't lie. You know he's telling the truth._

_No! Sonic didn't hurt anyone! I know him, he'd never do that!_

"I know how this looks, Amy, and I'm sure that there's an explanation…" Tails continued, before he heard a loud noise, and after that, a steady tone coming from the telephone. Amy must've hung up on him. Figuring that it'd be best to leave her alone, the fox hung up the phone, and looked back at Cream sitting in his couch, still unaware, still innocent of everything that had happened.

"Tails, is something going on?" Cream asked politely, noticing the sadness in Tails' face. Why did he look so sad, like something terrible was about to happen?

Tails sat next to her, thankful that at least he had someone to share this moment with. Ever since Sonic came back, he'd been worried, and nobody had offered to cheer him up, to assure him and put a smile on his face. But now Cream was with him, and the rabbit never failed to try and make things look better. But now there was no smile in her face.

"We found Sonic," Tails answered. Cream thought that it was good news, but the expression on Tails' face told her that there was more to it than that.

"Is he okay?" she asked, wondering what was so terrible that Sonic coming back wasn't really good news.

"Sort of. He's not hurt, but…something happened to him. But we don't know, and he says he doesn't remember," the fox replied, his two tails twirling around as the same questions that he asked himself hours ago were still running around his own head.

"Is he going to be okay?" the rabbit asked, her brown eyes reflecting to Tails her hope and optimism that everything could be fine.

"I don't know, Cream," Tails replied with honesty. And even though he still didn't have any answers, at least he felt a bit better. And even though Cream still didn't really understand Tails' words, she knew that everything would be alright, and that she'd try and cheer him up.

* * *

Amy hung up the phone, not wanting to hear any more. She stood in front of the phone, suddenly hating that infernal contraption. She let her head down, as if she was carrying an immense weight. Her head was a mess, a swirling pool of emotions. Anger, worry, confusion, they were all screaming in her head. What Tails said…it meant that Sonic really could've spilled all that blood. That he did do something horrible after all. And if that was true…that the Sonic she knew and loved was gone.

But a part of her, in a corner of her heart, she knew that he could never do harm. A corner of her heart reminded her who Sonic really was. And that Sonic would never do that. It was one of the reasons she loved him, he'd never hurt anyone.

_But why is he pushing me away so harshly? Doesn't he trust me?_

"Everything okay?" a voice snapped Amy out of her thoughts and prompting Amy to turn to face him. Sonic was standing near her, his hand against a wall, giving him balance while his left leg dangled, the bandage deeply stained red. He was standing motionless, no grin, as if there was no energy running in his body.

_He really suffered out there, didn't he? He doesn't even try to act like his old self. Whatever happened to him out there, it's hurting him from inside._

"Yeah, everything's fine," she said casually as she brushed off her bangs which had dropped in front of her eyes. She was about to try and explain the phone call when Sonic's stomach growled loudly, obviously asking for nourishment.

Amy couldn't help but let out a slight giggle. "You're hungry, aren't you?" she said, suddenly wondering what she had left in her refrigerator.

"Yeah, can't remember the last time I ate. I didn't stay at Tails' for breakfast," Sonic remembered, suddenly asking himself if he ever slept or ate during those three days. His stomach seemed to know the answer pretty well, judging by the fact that it kept rumbling as they spoke.

"You know, I can make you some chili-dogs. That is, if you stay for lunch," Amy joked, glad that at least she could give Sonic something he wouldn't refuse.

"Guess I have no choice," Sonic replied, giving Amy the slightest of smiles, which was all that was needed to make Amy go straight to the kitchen and start checking if she had all the ingredients and enough to make lunch for two. Sonic then hopped with his one leg back to the couch, the only place where he could lie down. Soon enough, because there was nothing else he could do, he drifted back into his thoughts.

_Can I tell her what I've seen, what I've done?_

_You know that she's always liked you, and that she'll try to help you._

_Yeah…but she likes me for who she thinks I am. After that…all those flashes…I'm not sure if I really am innocent of anything._

_Amy will always stick to you, no matter what. You know she won't leave you._

_But if I tell her, she'll get sucked into this nightmare. She looks so…optimistic, like she hopes everything will be alright. If I tell her, I might destroy all that._

_Sonic, what else can you do? Who else can you trust?_

_I don't want to hurt her with what I've done, don't want to give her my burdens. I need to protect her from myself, everything that happened. I can't do that to her._

Amy glanced at Sonic, who seemed lost in his thoughts again. It was so unlike Sonic to just sit and think. She was puzzled, but she knew that Sonic was hurt, and that he couldn't get past this without help. And Amy would make sure that she would give him all the help he would need.


	4. Walls

**Walls**

Amy let out a sigh as she stood up and put the dishes in the sink, ready to wash the plates. The lunch hadn't been a bad one. But still, it felt…awkward. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the spaghetti she made herself, as they were quite tasty. And Sonic seemed to enjoy the chili-dogs as well, as he didn't leave anything on his plate and ate at a surprising rate; most likely to his hunger, which had probably hadn't been attended to in a long time.

No, it was the silence that made Amy uneasy. Almost the entire made had passed in silence, neither hedgehog speaking a single word. It scared Amy a little to see Sonic be quiet, staying still and not his normal hyperactive self. And he hadn't even looked at her, not even once, like she didn't exist. Amy figured that he was immersed in his thoughts once again. But what thoughts could be so important that Sonic the Hedgehog was sitting quietly, not saying a word or trying to burn off some energy?

Her curiosity kept telling her to find out what bothered him, what was inside his head. And she deeply wanted to know, but Sonic was never one to open up to anybody. He was always talking about what he was doing, never about what he was feeling or thinking.

_But if something's bothering him, I should help him._

_He'll never tell you, Amy. He's stuck inside his own head._

_But still, it's worth trying. He just needs to be warmed up a little._

Amy shook those thoughts of her head, and started to wash everything, if only to have something to do until she tried to make Sonic tell her what was bothering him.

"Thanks, Amy. It was delicious," Sonic spoke, surprising Amy. She turned around, and was greeted with the same expression he'd been wearing the entire day, those lips permanently flat, his eyes gray.

Amy dismissed those thoughts and smiled anyway, trying to see if Sonic would at least play along. "You're welcome, Sonic. You know that I can always make you a nice meal," the girl replied, but still, her hospitality had no effect on his face, and she only received a nod in return. Sonic then got up awkwardly, and hopped back to the couch in front of the TV set, which seemed to be the only place where he felt comfortable.

Amy soon finished washing everything and dried her hands. She walked back to the living room, Sonic still sitting there, looking into space, his eyes focusing on nothing. She stood still for a moment, trying to figure out how to break the silence. She couldn't just ask Sonic to tell him what was bothering him, that would obviously not work; it'd probably look like she was pushing him. No, she needed to find another way to start the conversation.

Rummaging through her ideas, Amy eventually settled for the only one that didn't seem like she desperate to get inside his head: watching TV.

"Would you mind if I watch some TV, Sonic?" the girl asked innocently, and she received a simple "No, it's okay," in return. The girl sat next to Sonic, feeling only the slightest spark of excitement in her heart at being so close to her hero, and him not running away. Still, this wasn't the right time to remember how many times she had dreamed of being in this exact situation. She grabbed the remote and turned the set on, even though she didn't really want to spend this day sitting in front of a glowing box, but her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the news.

"-still no witnesses to the mystery jewel theft last night, though police are still looking for evidence. And now, an update on the Sonic situation."

Two pairs of ears stood up at the mention of the hero's name. Amy had completely forgotten that all the news channels were constantly reporting news of Sonic's disappearance and the kidnappings, as they called them. Sonic, however, just waited patiently to see what the news had to say about him.

"Apparently, after three days of going missing, Sonic the Hedgehog has turned up. Various witnesses claim to have seen Sonic the Hedgehog barging with his sidekick, Miles Prower, into a local hospital late last night. However, these witnesses claim to have seen Sonic covered in blood, and then Miles Prower demanding to be seen by a doctor. Hospital cameras have managed to record this moment."

The screen then showed a black-and-white video of Sonic and Tails barging at full speed into the hospital, dark batches on the screen representing the stains on Sonic's quills. Two sets of eyes watched attentively, waiting to know more.

"After leaving the hospital, nobody has seen the hero since. No one knows where he has been or what he's been doing, or if he's somehow connected to the kidnappings. However, we've been informed that there's been a leak in the government involving some confidential documents. These have been published online, and one of them states that there haven't been any kidnappings since last night, a few hours before Sonic's sudden reappearance. Those who have been following the news know very well that ever since Sonic the Hedgehog disappeared, there have constant reports of kidnapping, averaging to one per hour. Many people find this connection suspicious, as seen in various websites and polls."

A frown started to appear on Amy's face. How could people suspect Sonic? Did they not remember that he always saved them time after time, that he never meant any harm?

"Among the most popular theories, there's one that suggests that Eggman is behind all this and kidnapped Sonic, but then the hero managed to defeat the infamous doctor. The great majority of the population seems to agree with this theory. However, in the last few hours, a controversial theory has sparked, which suggests that somehow, Sonic the Hedgehog is actually behind this. Though it's certainly easy to reject and ignore it, the evidence seems to indicate that-"

The TV was turned off by one angry pink hedgehog, who was trying to control her urge to hammer the infernal machine to pieces.

_This is unbelievable. How can people actually think that Sonic would harm or…kill those people?_

_Don't they trust him anymore? Don't they realize that only a fiend like Eggman could do something so terrible? I can't believe that people are seriously thinking that Sonic did it._

Sonic had been watching attentively, absorbing all the information. So, the whole city had been waiting and watching attentively. Not that it really mattered. Being famous was never something he really took a lot of advantage from. But now, people were accusing him of killing all those people. His fans could turn into his enemies. However, the sound of Amy grunting made him pay more attention to the one friend that was actually beside him, her frown and clenched fists showing just how angry she was. But what was she angry at?

"Amy? Is anything wrong?" Sonic inquired, wondering what could possibly upset her so much. Did she honestly believe that he did nothing wrong?

Amy turned her head towards him, but hesitated to answer. Why was he asking? Wasn't he angry that people were saying he killed someone? Amy didn't understand. What was going on inside his head? Why was he acting like this, like he couldn't do anything at all?

"What's wrong," Amy started, letting her anger slip a little, "is that people are saying that you hurt somebody." Amy waited for Sonic to react, to see what emotions surfaced. But she couldn't read Sonic's face, there was nothing. Nothing…Sonic acted with apathy, doing nothing at all. Not even talking. Sonic looked down, trying not to face her. His mind was spinning, facing the dilemma he had right in front of him.

_I have to tell her…_

_Sonic, you don't really remember what you did out there. You don't know the truth._

_It's the only way to set things straight._

_Sonic, you'll hurt her. You'll show her all the pain you've caused, destroy whatever hope she has._

_She deserves the truth. If I've hurt anyone, I need to face the consequences._

"Sonic?" Amy asked, but refrained from asking if he had anything to do with those people. She was afraid of what he could say. His silence…he wasn't denying anything. Why didn't he say anything?

Taking a deep breath, Sonic begun. "Amy, I…I don't really know what happened out there." He paused, looking back at the girl, her green eyes reflecting her worry, her hidden fear. "I don't remember, I don't know, and…I think I…hurt someone, Amy," he admitted, letting the girl make a slight gasp, her eyes full of surprise as she retracted away from Sonic a bit.

"No…you couldn't have harmed someone, Sonic," Amy said, trying to deny that her hero could be cause of all this, unwilling to admit it. "You couldn't have, you…you said you don't remember. You can't know…" Amy said, refusing to believe it was true, surprising Sonic that she believed so strongly that he didn't do anything.

"Why do you believe so much in me? Why do you think I couldn't have done wrong?" Sonic asked, surprised that this girl truly believed he did nothing. Was it because she loved him so much that she didn't want to let go?

"Sonic, I've known you for so long," she said, recalling so many memories. "And I know that you would never, ever hurt anyone. You'd never hurt those innocent people. You've always protected everyone, always rescued people in danger," she continued, trying desperately to convince Sonic that he couldn't hurt people, much less take lives away.

"But still, I can't help but feel guilty. I don't know why, but I feel like I've done something terrible. I can't seem to get this feeling off my head," Sonic explained, and just then, he saw another flash of blood, causing him to turn away while closing him eyes. He put of his hands on his head, trying to comfort the flash of dull pain that came along with it.

"Sonic…" her voice became a bit gentler, trying to stay calm. "I won't believe that you did it. But I think that the only way to really know what happened is if you tried to remember," Amy said with worried eyes, and Sonic's grayish, serious ones met hers.

"I don't want to remember," Sonic answered, wishing she'd just leave him alone already.

"You've been trying to make this go away all by yourself, Sonic. You need help. And I could help you, if you'd let me," Amy said, hoping that Sonic wouldn't reject her. She just wanted to rid Sonic of the burden he was carrying in his head.

Sonic was perplexed. He admited to her that he might've killed people, and yet she still offered to help him? Sonic was convinced that he had something do with it. Making him remember would only make him see more flashes, bring back the pain and guilt. He didn't what to remember anymore.

"Sonic, I just want to help get through this. Whatever happens to you, I'll be there if you need me. If you want to talk, I'm right here. I'll be there to show everybody that you're innocent," Amy said, trying to reassure the hero. She knew that if she wanted Sonic to let her help him, she'd have to show him just how concerned she was.

"But if I'm not?" Sonic answered almost immediately, making Amy fall silent. She didn't know what to answer. She bit her lip in anxiety, wondering what would be the best thing to say.

_He can't be guilty, I'm sure of that. Yet he seems to be so sure...I don't understand why he's blaming himself for all this._

_Amy, answer him. Will you be there if he's guilty?_

_He can't be._

_But he thinks he is. And he's waiting for an answer._

_Well, just say yes. There's nothing to lose._

_But you'd be lying, and you know that._

_But I don't want to leave him, and he needs help. I just want to see the Sonic I know again._

"Of course I will, Sonic," Amy half-lied to Sonic, and thankfully he didn't seem to notice. She felt uneasy, but she had to do this if she wanted to help Sonic. The blue hedgehog then turned away, once again immersed in his own thoughts. Just then, Amy put slowly her hand on top of Sonic's, which was resting on the couch, in an attempt to comfort him, to make him know that she was there.

Sonic, however, reacted coldly by removing his hand from underneath hers, not even looking at her. He wasn't used to such contact, and he certainly wasn't it the mood. He felt as though Amy was trying to force him to confess to her. He missed the expression on her face, unaware of how much hurt that simple movement caused her.

_She says she'll stay with me. But she doesn't really know what I've suffered. Once I tell her, she'll be horrified and she'll just run away. I'll end up alone._

Amy was unsure of how to go on. She had no idea what to do in this situation, what would be the best approach. She hesitated for a moment, until she asked a very simple, yet very important question. "Sonic, how are you feeling?"

Sonic's mind was blank. How did he feel right now? He had no idea. Ever since he came back, he hadn't felt much of anything. Happiness, sadness, anger…all of it was numb. As if there was a block on his head preventing him from feeling his own emotions. The same block that prevented him from remembering. He felt…somewhat empty. Something was missing. But what was it?

"I'm okay," Sonic lied once again, unwilling to admit that his lack of feelings and memory was bothering him.

"Sonic, you've disappeared for three days and then came back covered in blood. You shouldn't be fine, you should be at least worried about what happened," Amy reasoned. She felt like she was going in circles, every time she asked Sonic something, the answer was always short and vague. She felt as though Sonic didn't care in the least about anything, or about her feelings at all.

"I told you, I'm fine. Why do keep asking me?" Sonic whined, wishing his leg were healed already so he could run and leave her behind, but alas, the wound still hurt him, and it only made his temper even worse. Why didn't she understand that the truth was horrible, and he was trying to keep her out of all that?

Amy was beginning to lose her hopes. Sonic was shutting her out, hiding behind his walls, pushing her away from him. Every time she tried to pull him out of his confusion, he'd kick her away, reject her. "I don't think you're fine, Sonic! You don't know anything, but you still blame yourself and push everyone away," Amy said in a higher tone, trying to contain her emotions. It wasn't easy when the hero she admired was slowly slipping away, being replaced with pessimism and loneliness.

"Stop trying to help me! I don't want your help!" Sonic began to exclaim, letting his confusion and fear take over him and speak, as they had no other way out of his heart. "I don't need anyone! I just want to be alone!" Sonic didn't dare look at her right now. He figured that she was probably angry, going to hammer him to death. He was just trying to figure out what was wrong in his head, but she was pushing to try and get in there. Now she'd probably hammer him crazily, like she almost did so many times every time she chased him at full speed, always following him, trying to stop him…

But Sonic didn't hear the sound of a hammer being raised, or sense Amy trying to force him to talk, but instead, Amy whimpering and sobbing. Amy's eyes were already wet and ready to go, and her heart felt like it was being ripped from her chest. Her emotions were slipping out of her control. Why was this happening? Sonic was sitting right beside her, yet she felt as though he couldn't be any further away from her. She had been rejected before, but this was not rejection. This was Sonic kicking her heart, stomping it as he didn't even care about her feelings. And when she noticed that Sonic was looking at her, those same eyes, emotionless, without a trace of what was once a boy she loved, Amy finally let her tears run.

Sonic watched as Amy cried loudly, watched the pain from her heart surface without barriers, as her covered her face with her hands as the drops of water travelled down her face and stained her red dress. Amy didn't want to accept it, but it was clear. Sonic wasn't there. She couldn't face the fact that he was gone. She let her tears and loud sobs show the pain, but it did nothing to relieve it.

"Sonic…" she said between sobs, and this time, without thought, she put her head on his chest as she clutched the hero in her arms, trying to embrace him, if only to feel the familiar sensation of hugging the hero. But it felt nothing like that. This was cold, uncaring. But nevertheless, the girl held onto him, and cried her heart out. "Sonic, please…come back…Sonic, I just want…" she managed to speak, but couldn't as her heart hurt too much to even speak.

Sonic was watching all of this, motionless, not one movement to comfort her. And yet…deep in his mind, in the middle of his confusion and blurry thoughts, something was stirring. Something which had been asleep for days, only now awakening. Sonic knew that Amy wouldn't like him trying to figure things out all on his own…but he did not expect to see that it was hurting her so much, that it'd be so painful that she'd cry.

_Amy, why…?_

_I was just trying to protect you._

_But could it be…that pushing her away from all this…hurts her even more?_

_That pushing her away, not telling, is only making her miserable, instead of keeping her safe from the truth?_

_She just wants to help me…and I've been trying to do it all alone._

He didn't like tears…but these were different. Because he was the reason she was crying. He was causing her pain. He thought he was protecting her, but it was only making her miserable.

_No…no, it can't be like that!_

_There's no other explanation…you're hurting her. And the only way to make things right is to realize that you need other people to help you. You can't do this on your own, or else by the time you want someone, you'll realize you're sitting in a lonely, gray room, and no one is there._

Amy's sobs were dying down, but the pain was still as strong as ever, like a dagger in her heart. She felt like it would never stop…until she felt something warm on her hand. Intrigued, she removed her head from her chest and looked down on her hand…and found that Sonic's was resting on top of it. Amy looked with surprise at Sonic, and for the first time, she could see the tiniest sparkle of life in those grayish orbs.

"Amy…" Sonic said in a low voice, showing that his emotions were still suppressed, yet slowly coming back. "I'm not okay…I need help," he admitted to her, looking at her green eyes and finding so much pain, pain that he could relieve…and knew that right now, Amy was the only one who could help him. "Help me, Amy…"


	5. Suffering

**Suffering**

"Help me, Amy…"

Those words made Amy's heart skip a beat. She saw in his eyes the pain: masked, hidden, but strong, tearing him apart. "Sonic, wha…do you mean that?" she managed to voice, her tears and sobs still lingering, but a part of her felt a spark of happiness.

"I do, Amy. I can't do this by myself. I need someone to help me," Sonic replied, looking at her last tears travel all the way down to face and dropping in his chest. He never meant to make Amy feel the pain, but not telling did exactly that. And he knew that he needed someone to help him get through his foggy memories. He needed something to count on, something that was there with him no matter what.

Amy couldn't help but give a tiny smile. Sonic wanted to come back, not just sit in a corner and let his fear get the best of him. And he wanted her help, a thought that made her heart accelerate, knowing that she would finally know what was bothering so much, and get him through the pain and finally have the Sonic she knew and loved back.

Suddenly very conscious of her position, she retreated back to her own side of the couch and let him have his own space, although she really did miss the feel of having Sonic in her arms, feeling that he couldn't go away, that he'd stay in her arms. But neither of them moved their hands, letting Amy appreciate the warmth of Sonic's hand above hers.

"Thanks, Sonic," Amy said, looking at him tenderly.

"For what?" the blue hedgehog replied, perplexed. Why was she thanking him? He made her cry by pushing him away from him. He had a hard time understanding this girl.

"For asking for help. It's hard seeing you in pain, confused and not trying to get through that," Amy replied, her sobs finally dying down and her tears drying. She knew that getting Sonic to remember and tell her what he saw would be a slow process, and probably a painful one. She didn't know what would be the best way to help him, or what Sonic would have to do to recover, but she was willing to give it a shot.

Sonic didn't say anything and just looked back at this girl, who seemed to be so confident that she could really help him. But he was willing to give it a shot. It was better than nothing, right?

"Sonic, what do you remember?" Amy asked. Perhaps the best place to start was to work with what Sonic already had. Sonic didn't answer right away, but just looked into Amy's eyes, letting Amy see all the pain those memories brought him.

"They're not pretty images, Amy. Are you sure you want to know?" Sonic asked, still wanting to protect her from the bloodshed that was still fresh in his memory. He didn't want to show her how much those images were torturing him, ripping his sanity.

_But if I want to overcome this, then I'll need to make sacrifices. I just want Amy to be the friend she's always been, not show her what I could've done and make her go away._

_I hope you really believe in me, Amy…or else I'll lose you._

"I'm sure. I can't help you if I don't know what bothers you so much," Amy explained. All she really knew was that there was lots of blood involved. The sight of her hero, covered in that red liquid from head to toes was an image she hoped she'd never see. And her imagination was starting to fill her with fear, wondering what he might've seen out there. Sonic saw that she was serious. He took a breath and let the flashes fill his mind.

"I remember…seeing lots of blood. Blood spread everywhere, on the grass, on my hands. And I remember…" he paused as more flashes came to him, he had to close his eyes and concentrate to make the dull pain in his head go away, as he used both hands to massage the sides of his head. "I remember seeing dead bodies. Dead bodies, lots of them, all over the place," Sonic recalled, his trembling voice showing the fear and anguish in his voice. "And I can't help but think that…I think…" he turned his gaze to Amy, who was listening to every word, her eyes wide open, showing her shock. "I think it was those missing people, Amy. The ones who disappeared. They were there, in front of me."

Amy shut her eyes, trying to keep herself from letting out ever more tears. She wanted to be strong for Sonic, to show that she could handle it, but it was proving to be harder than she thought. She had no idea that Sonic had seen something so horrible, seeing death and pain all around him. No wonder he was acting so strange. All those images were haunting him. Amy tried for a second to imagine herself, standing in the middle of all that. She probably couldn't handle it. She opened her eyes again, seeing Sonic looking back at her, and it seemed as if he worried about her, how she was handling it.

"Amy, you okay?" Sonic asked, though he immediately thought it was a stupid question. How could she be okay in this situation?

"I'm fine, Sonic, it's just…I didn't know. I had no idea you had something like that," Amy said, trying to control herself and not cry again in front of him. That's when she realized that he was damaged. Seeing all that must've really shaken him up. That was the reason he was acting so weird. "If I knew, I might've given you more space."

"No, don't say that. It's my fault. I was the one who kept you away from me. You were just worried," Sonic reassured her. He didn't realize it, but admitting to someone what he saw and what he thought made him feel a bit better, the slightest bit lighter. "I'm sorry, Amy," he apologized, as the all guilt he had been repressing came to him like a flood. Amy cleared her throat and wiped her eyes, making sure that he didn't see any more tears from her, as he had seen enough. She looked at him, and trying to get past the emotional pain, she continued.

"Sonic, I know that you've been through a lot, okay? But I have an idea that might help you to remember what happened," she told him, but he didn't show happiness or hope.

"I can't…I don't want to remember," Sonic complained, knowing that what was locked inside his head could only be worse that the flashes he's already seen. "Is it really necessary?"

"It's the only way to know what really happened, and to see that you didn't hurt anyone," Amy reminded him, showing Sonic once again how much she believed in him. But still, the thought of remembering distressed him very much. What frightened him the most was the possibility that it would just confirm his suspicions, and he'd realize that he really did hurt, perhaps even murder all those people.

"I don't know, Amy…" Sonic replied, turning his gaze to a window, looking outside if only to try and take his mind off this whole thing. Or at least avoid having to talk about such a traumatic event.

"Sonic, I know it'll be painful, but I'll be here for you," Amy reassured. But she saw that Sonic still wasn't convinced. Once again, she put her hand on top of his, but this time Sonic didn't pull away, and when he turned his gaze back at her, he was received by a small smile on her face. "Sonic, do you trust me?" Sonic just looked at her for a second, watching her sweet face waiting for him. Amy waited for Sonic to answer, but the silence was not broken by his voice, but by the sound of loud knocking on Amy's front door.

Suddenly angry that the moment was ruined, Amy reluctantly removed her hand from Sonic's and went to the door, thinking that whatever was interrupting her had better be important. When she opened the door, she was confronted by a large, tall dog in a huge black suit and sunglasses, but Amy could see that by his expression that he had little interest in chatting.

"Miss Amy Rose?" the large dog spoke in a deep voice, but Amy wasn't fazed in the least, courtesy of her own anger.

"Yes, that's me. What do you want?" she replied through gritted teeth, making it a very unpleasant greeting for the mysterious man, but he didn't flinch, just stood firmly and kept his perfect posture.

"I'm from the government. Do you know where Sonic the Hedgehog is?" he asked firmly, and revealing his wallet containing an official card, certifying that he did work for the government.

"Why do you want to know?" Amy asked, unwilling to give up Sonic to this thug. Amy didn't always trust the government to handle Sonic, and much less in this situation. She remember how a leaked document created by the government created the delusion that Sonic was responsible for the missing people.

"The government has a few questions to ask him. Do you know where he is?" the agent insisted as he stuck his head inside Amy's house, catching sight of the blue hedgehog sitting in a couch, looking back at him with firm and distrusting eyes. "Sonic the Hedgehog, you need to come with us immediately. It's a matter of grave importance," the agent spoke, trying to show how serious the situation was.

"He's not going anywhere. He's injured and can't walk," Amy interrupted, glaring back at the agent who was trying to take Sonic away from her.

"Doesn't matter. He's coming with us one way or another," the agent added and snapped his fingers, resulting in two other agents appearing from nowhere and barging into her house, who took Sonic by his arms and roughly carried him out of her house. Sonic tried to wiggle out of their hands, but they kept a tight grip on his arms, almost a bit too hard, as he had to fight a wince at being handled so carelessly. "Hey, let me go!" Sonic protested as they carried him away. The agents only responded by raising him until his feet couldn't touch the floor, making it impossible for Sonic to escape their grasp.

"Wait!" Amy shouted, but none of the identically dressed agents paid any attention to her as they climbed back to the helicopter parked just a few yards away Amy's front door, dragging Sonic along as the rotors started spinning at high speed, ready to take off at any second. Amy ran towards the helicopter, trying to reach it before it took off. However, as soon as the four passengers climbed on board, the pilot lifted the helicopter off the ground, Sonic still desperately trying to escape, but to no avail, and by the time Amy got to the spot, it was already above her head.

"Sonic!" she screamed, hoping that Sonic would hear her. But it didn't matter. The helicopter quickly lifted soared to the skies and took Sonic far beyond her reach. Amy fell to her knees. Oh, just a few seconds ago, they were together, Sonic was opening up to her, and their hands were touching, sharing the warmth…and it was all taken away from her coldly, in a few seconds.

Reluctantly, she got up and walked back to her house, and closed the door behind her. It was all so silent, so lonely. She looked at the spot where Sonic had just been sitting, stained with a few drops of blood, all that remained of him in the house. Amy sat down on her own spot, feeling defeated and useless. Every time she had a chance to connect with him, something always took the moment away. Trying not to dwell on those thoughts, she sat up and tried to distract herself.

_So…now what?_

* * *

Sonic's head felt really funny; dizzy and light at the same time. He let out a groan as another wave of pain made his head throb. Slowly, he opened his eyes, yet his blurry vision couldn't let him distinguish anything.

_Where am I? What happened?_

_Wait, wait, wait. Try and backtrack your memory._

_Okay…I was at Amy's, we were talking, and then these government agents came and took me…_

_They…they shoved me into a helicopter, and one of them injected me with something…_

Sonic felt the pain in his head calm down, and them his vision became clear. But all he could see was the dimly lit room he was in, concrete walls, a metal door in the front wall, and an uncomfortable-looking metal chair in front of him. He tried to bring up on of his hands to try and rearrange his quills. Wherever he was sitting, it wasn't built for a hedgehog.

However, he felt his arm being restricted, preventing him from moving his arm. That when he looked at himself. He was strapped to a chair, restraints tied to his arms, feet and body. He couldn't move at all. The sudden realization that he was trapped and couldn't move made his heart race with anxiety and his blood race. Yet, all that energy couldn't go anywhere, he couldn't even stand on his own two feet. This felt like torture, all that energy, and he couldn't release even an ounce of it.

"Hey! Where am I? What do you want? Let me go!" Sonic yelled at the door. He looked around, there wasn't anybody else in here, no cameras, no windows, nothing but a metal door that connected him to wherever he was. He felt his muscles tense from the anxiety, his blood pressure rising, and started pulling every limb in a desperate attempt to be free, but it did nothing but burn some of his excess energy. "Hey! Somebody, get me outta here!" Then, the metal door opened, and two agents came in. Sonic had never seen them before, but then again, they all looked pretty much the same to him.

"Hey, let me go!" Sonic screamed at them, but neither of them made a move. "Hey, did you listen? Take these things off me!" Sonic tried again, but they didn't seem to care.

"You're not going anywhere, not until you answer some questions," one of the agents spoke, and sat on the small chair in front of Sonic.

"Who are you people?" Sonic asked with anger. He glared at the agent in front of him, who seems to be smirking at the fact that Sonic was unable to move or protect himself.

"All you need to know is that we're from the government," the agent responded, while his partner just stood there and watched the hedgehog squirm, until he spoke with a satisfied voice. "Well, well, well. Looks like we finally caught the fastest thing alive."

Sonic didn't speak a word, but he just glared with anger and hate at the agent with grayish eyes. He was proud of his ability, proud that no one could outrun and catch him. And now, he was stuck here, vulnerable and easy to attack. Sonic began to sweat nervously. Even though the government was usually friendly to him, these agents looked like they would hurt him without hesitation. Were they even from the government? They could be lying, but Sonic decided to keep quiet.

"If you don't cooperate with us, there'll be trouble. You understand?" the agent seated in front of Sonic asked through his dark glasses, preventing Sonic to really see who was asking.

Even though the hedgehog still felt like ripping out of his restraints and running away as fast as possible, the hedgehog answered, "Understood," hoping that at least this would be quick.

"Great," the agent replied, giving a smile. "Bring in the equipment," he spoke at the door.

"Equipment?" Sonic asked, trying to hide his fear, but nobody answered him. If they just wanted answers, why would they need any equipment? Sonic watched as another man in a white coat entered, carrying a small black box, connecting tens of little cables and helplessly watched as the man set the box on the floor and attached several electrodes to different parts of his body, including his chest, arms, legs and neck.

"These will tell us if you're lying, measuring your heart rate and perspiration. It's basically a lie detector," the agent explained once again. "Go check if the system's working," he commanded to the other agent, who left the room. Sonic felt a pinch in his wrist, and that's when he realized that the man was now attached wires to him, directly to the skin. "What now?" Sonic asked, wondering how many wires were needed.

"That's to make sure you tell us what we want. If you tell us the truth, nothing will happen. If not…you'll see," the agent said cryptically, making Sonic worry even more. Once the man in the white coat was finished attaching wires to his wrists, neck and stomach, he turned on the black box, which made a soft hum, and left the room, and closed the door, and activated the locking mechanism. Now it was just the agent and Sonic.

Sonic was starting to sweat bullets. What was going on? Why did they tie him down like this. Sonic tried to squirm out of his restraints, trying desperately to break free…but they were so tightly closed, Sonic felt like they might cut off his blood flow. The agent said nothing, and waited until Sonic stopped fighting and finally gave up. After a few minutes, the hedgehog finally stopped and let his hand drop in frustration, and also to give his back quills some space.

"All right," the agent spoke. "Now we can start."


	6. Torture

**Torture**

Sonic sat up to see the agent eye-to-eye, trying not to appear weak in front of these thugs. The two of them remained silent for a minute, and Sonic tried to remain as still as possible. The agent grabbed a small square controlled connected to the black box, which held only a knob and a button. Sonic was curious as to what it did, but he decided to keep quiet.

"Are you aware of what has been happening these last few days?" the agent finally spoke, firmly holding the metallic controller on one hand. Sonic answered with a simple yes, trying not to say anything that wasn't necessary.

"So you know what people are missing?" the agent asked once again, and Sonic nodded in response. Where was he going with this? What did they want? And why didn't they just ask directly, instead of making these pointless questions?

"And you also know that when you disappeared, people began to disappear as well, and that the moment you came back, it all stopped?" the agent asked once again, but this time, Sonic realized that the agents were suspicious. They were thinking that maybe he did hurt those people. Sonic nodded once again in silence.

"That's a bit suspicious, don't you think?" the agent asked with a tone of interest. Sonic didn't nod or say anything; he just stared at the agent, letting the silence speak for him. "What were you doing in those three days?" the agent questioned.

_Oh, crap._

_What do I do now? I can't answer that I don't remember, it'll look suspicious. But if I don't tell them anything, they'll think I'm hiding something._

_Wait, they have a lie detector, right? Just tell them you don't remember, and they'll see that you're telling the truth._

_But those flashes, they're memories, aren't they? I was there, in the middle of all that blood…_

_Yeah, but if you tell them that, then it's game over for good. You've got no other option._

"I…don't really remember," Sonic said, trying to sound honest yet confident, which was harder that he thought. "I wish I knew," he concluded, but the agent looked at him with disbelief. And through his earpiece, he heard his colleague saying "He's lying."

"You really expect us to believe that?" the agent asked with a hint of anger. Before Sonic could say anything else, he added, "Let me show you what happens if you don't tell us what we want," and then turned his attention to the small controller. He turned the knob up one notch and pressed the button.

The moment Sonic saw the button being pushed, he felt a mild tingling shock travelling throughout his entire body, making every muscle tense without warning and his heart hammer loudly in his chest, which only stopped when the agent removed his finger off the button. Sonic's breathing was too fast for him to keep up, and his heart was beating so quickly it almost hurt. Not so much from the actual shock, but from the realization that he wasn't just hooked up to a lie detector, but to an electroshock machine.

"I think you know what happens if I turn up this thing another notch," the agent added in a low voice. Sonic realized just how serious the situation was, and the danger he was now in. The agent seemed to be the trigger-happy type, and worst of all, Sonic couldn't answer those questions. "You'd better start telling the truth, or we'll get it out of you," the agent warned. "What were you doing in those three days?"

Sonic didn't really hear the question. He couldn't really concentrate; the situation was too much for him. He was in a tiny, dark room, he was strapped to a chair, couldn't move anything, he was hooked to an electroshock machine controlled by a trigger-happy guy asking questions he couldn't answer. His heart kept hammering painfully in his chest, his brain was desperately trying to think of something, anything that would get him out of here, and his entire body was screaming for freedom, to be let out of this torture, yet all his strength and will seemed to be useless against the restraints.

"I said, what were you doing in those days? Where were you?" the agent asked angrily. Sonic looked at him, and this time he could not conceal his fear, showing how vulnerable he was right now.

"I don't know!" Sonic screamed, hoping that they would believe him. "I swear I don't know! I can't tell you!" Sonic said, letting his head down in exhaustion, not caring about how weak he looked right then; he just wanted to be set free.

"You can't tell us because you can't remember…or because you're guilty of something?" the asked implied, and Sonic looked up to him, he had his fingers on the knob, turning it up another notch. Panicking, Sonic's heart began to accelerate even more, making his breathing dangerously fast, so fast that Sonic felt like he couldn't keep up with this painful rhythm.

"No, you have to believe me! I don't know what happened!" Sonic insisted once again, his voice showing how weak he was, the pain he was in right now. The agent said nothing, but from his earpiece, he heard the other agent say, "I can't tell for certain if he's lying, but he's certainly hiding something. There's something important that he's not telling us."

"What are you not telling us?" the agent demanded to know, keeping his finger on the button, ready to press it. Sonic's mind was spinning, trying to come up with an answer, but he had nothing, and he was starting to feel dizzy. He tried to think of something, but it was impossible to get out of this one without confessing that he had flashes of blood. "We know you're hiding something, and we're not afraid of using unconventional methods," the agent added. Seeing that this wasn't working, the agent tried a different question. "Is Eggman involved?"

Eggman…it'd never crossed Sonic's mind that Eggman could be involved.

_I'm such an idiot. Of course Eggman has something to do. I'm sure he's involved, he has to be, right?_

_But if he is, then why can't I remember seeing him, fighting against him to try and help those people…_

_Just shut up and say yes, it's your only chance to get outta here!_

"Yes," Sonic replied after taking a breath, hoping that at least the agents would believe that and leave him alone and unhook him from this chair. However, the agent only heard "I'm not sure about that, I can't tell for certain if that's true," from his earpiece.

"Are you sure?" the agent asked again, keeping his finger on the button at all times.

"Yes, Eggman's involved, it's all his plan," Sonic said between breaths, trying to calm his heart down. At this point, he would beg for the agents to let him go, and he'd say anything if it would satisfy them and stop this torture. But his lie didn't fool them, or at least the lie detector, and when the agent received confirmation, Sonic could see the frown on his face, and he knew he didn't fool them. "No, wait, stop-"

Another shock ran through Sonic's body, making every one of his muscles tense and hurt. It felt like a million needles were piercing every muscle, tensing them and tiring every tissue of his body. The worst pain of all was his leg. Sonic could feel the flesh inside protesting, his skin and fur painfully tingling where the wound was still open. But worst of all was feeling his body asking to shake and spasm, yet the restraints held fast and made it almost impossible for him to have even the slightest degree of freedom. No matter how much his muscles pulled and strained, the restraints didn't let loose.

It felt like an eternity to Sonic, every second like a torture that never ended, even though the agent pushed the button only a second or two. As soon as he released it, Sonic let his head hung in exhaustion. "Please…stop! I didn't hurt anybody!" Sonic screamed, although his lungs and heart were cringing inside his chest. But the agents paid no attention to his cries. They kept asking, and little by little everything became blurry inside the hedgehog's head, to the point where he couldn't even remember what the questions were. And every so often, another shock traveled his body, every time like a kick to his guts, merciless and powerful.

Sonic soon lost idea of how long he'd been in the chair, the questions, everything. It all started to become unreal, between certainty and doubt. The only thing that seemed real was the pain and fear. Eventually, a point came where Sonic's head, the only part of his body unrestrained, hurt so bad, that Sonic beat his head against the back of the metal chair, feeling his quills bend and protest in pain. He just wanted it to stop, but he had no idea how to escape. He wasn't only stuck physically, but his mind was like a hall of mirrors, everything distorted and at the mercy of his imagination.

But then, after a particularly painful shock which made Sonic's leg feel like it was burning, he suddenly had another flash. A new image…he saw himself once again in the forest, following trails of blood, but this time, he was fighting…he couldn't see very well in his flashes, but he saw himself fighting. Throwing punches, kicks and spin dashes at someone. But he couldn't see who, he could only see an uncertain shadow…he had no idea who it was. He fought and fought, blood falling on his body, yet Sonic continued without even blinking…he just kept on going, ignoring the blood and fighting endlessly

Sonic's mind was now caught between the cold, metallic reality of the isolated room and the imagination and memories of whatever happening to him, until the flashes stopped and found himself in his restraints, every part of his body sweating, and his muscles numb from so much pain.

"Why did you come back covered in blood?" Sonic managed to hear from the agent. Sonic looked up, his muscles painfully lifting his heavy head, and saw nothing but an angry man, frustrated and taking out his pain on him.

"Because…I was protecting…" Sonic trailed off, his voice too weak. If he suffered too many shocks, he felt as though he would pass out and slip into darkness…

"All right. If you won't tell us the truth…then we'll ask your friends," Sonic hear the agent say as he stood up and left the controller on the floor, turned around, giving his back to Sonic and calmly walked towards the door.

But Sonic was anything but calm. He could withstand the pain, the accusations, he could suffer through the shocks and the questions…but he could not bear to see his friends suffer the same way because of him. His imagination stepped in and made him see his friends in pain…Tails, Amy, Knuckles, all suffering because of him…he couldn't let them do that…and would happen if they broke Amy? Nobody would be safe…

_No! I won't let that happen! I won't let them hurt my friends! I can't…_

A tremendous surge of adrenaline suddenly entered Sonic's veins.

_Let me go! Leave them alone!_

And with every bit of strength he had left, Sonic pulled on the restrains once more, only this time the adrenaline masked the pain, and Sonic let his anger and fury slowly loosen the restrains. His body flooded with adrenaline and powerful emotions, Sonic gave it a final pull, and finally snapped free, and feel to the floor, no longer fixed into one position.

The agent heard the snap, and quickly turned around to see Sonic supporting himself with his hand, wondering how he broke free, yet panicking now that the hedgehog could escape. When Sonic gave him a glare revealing just how angry he was, the agent lunged himself at the Sonic.

"Get in here and hold him!" the agent screamed to his colleague, who came bursting through the door and with his partner grabbed every one of Sonic's limbs, but it wasn't easy as the hedgehog was trying to squirm free once again. Sonic was giving every bit of strength he had to finally be free, but these agents were almost too strong. He felt them grabbing his wrists and legs so tightly…and that's when he saw another flash. He saw himself lying on the grass of the forest again, in the exactly the same position he was now, his limbs being pinned down to the ground by someone. Sonic was bleeding, weak…but he wasn't going to give up.

Sonic was terribly confused, beginning to doubt if he was still in the room or back at the forest fighting. But despite his confusion, Sonic managed to focus, and with all his will and might, he broke free of the agent's grasp and pushed them into the far corner of the room, and took the chance to finally stand up. Sonic had never felt this angry and confused. And then Sonic felt himself slipping away, slowly losing control of his own body as the agents approached him once again…

* * *

"And they just took Sonic away?"

"I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen…I'm so worried, Tails," Amy said, keeping a firm grip on the receiver. It had been a whole hour since those agents took Sonic, and she hadn't heard anything else since then. "I'm not even sure if they really were from the government."

"Who else would take him? Eggman doesn't have any henchmen, only robots," Tails replied from the other end of the line. To be honest, he found the situation very suspicious. Some agents show up from nowhere and take Sonic away, giving no explanation even to the hero. Tails had been watching the news; no one mentioned the government wanting to talk to Sonic to taking him somewhere. His best guess was that the government wanted to handle everything quietly, hiding everything from the media. But he was worried as well about Sonic. Who knew what was happening to him?

"I know, but I don't know…I have a bad feeling about this, Tails. I think Sonic might be in trouble," Amy answered. She wanted so badly to go after him, find where they took him and finally know that he was safe when she held him in her arms, tell him how worried she was and how happy she was to see him again. But she couldn't help but suspect that the government was holding him because they thought he was guilty, and that thought made her angry, made her wish she could go down there and teach them a lesson.

"What we don't know where he is. We just have to wait until they let Sonic go, or Sonic leaves and finds his way back. There's not much we can do," Tails added. Although he appreciated that Amy called her, he couldn't help but feel she had another motive for calling him.

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd do something for me, Tails," Amy said. She hated sitting around doing nothing. She felt so useless...and she felt so restless not knowing where Sonic was, not even knowing whether he was safe. That was why she one of the reasons chased him. She wanted to know that he was okay. In a world where an evil doctor could strike at any time, sometimes without warning, Amy couldn't bear not knowing where Sonic was, and if he was safe and sound.

"What is it, Amy?" Tails said, giving a little smirk when his suspicions were confirmed.

"Could you check and see if this is all Eggman's doing?" Amy asked, hoping it wasn't too much.

"You want me to hack into Eggman's computers remotely, without being detected?" Tails replied, wondering if Amy knew how difficult that was and the amount of work and time it would take to do that.

"Please, Tails? I just want to know if Eggman's got him," Amy pleaded, hoping that her friend would help her.

There was a pause at the other end of the line, and Amy heard Tails take a deep breath, almost as if she could hear him thinking. "Fine, but I can't promise anything," Tails finally said, knowing that it was a risky move, but it could provide priceless information.

"Oh thanks, Tails!" Amy thanked, feeling a bit of relief calm her mind. She was about to end the conversation, when another question popped into her head. "Tails, what do you think is going on?"

Tails took a moment to think and come up with a plausible theory, trying to fit as many pieces as possible. "I think…this is Eggman's most devious plan yet. I think that he's trying to frame Sonic of killing all those people. That way, people lose trust and confidence in him. If this is Eggman's doing and he goes on, he might turn everyone against Sonic, making him a lot more weak and vulnerable. And then, with everyone against him, Eggman can brainwash everyone against Sonic, making Eggman incredibly powerful."

"Oh my…you mean Eggman could be trying to make us turn against Sonic?" Amy asked, incredulous. Although she had a feeling the evil doctor was connected to all this, she never imagined such an evil and intricate plan.

_Well, there's no way he's gonna make me think Sonic hurt anyone!_

"Another reason to hack into Eggman's computer, right?" Amy encouraged Tails to work quickly. If Eggman was the reason they took Sonic away, Amy wanted to hammer into his head that no one took him away from her.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Bye, Amy," Tails answered, suddenly anxious to find out what the doctor was up to now.

"Bye, Tails," Amy said and hung up the phone. Once again, the silence of her house made her slightly uncomfortable. She didn't want to sit around waiting for Tails to tell her the doctor's plans, and she already did all the chorus she could think of. She wanted to go out and find Sonic.

_Don't be foolish, Amy. You have no idea where he is, and you don't even know if he's in danger._

_But I can't just wait for him to come back. And he's wither in a cage built by Eggman or in the hands of the government, who think Sonic's guilty of killing all those people._

_What if Tails was right…what if Eggman convinced them that Sonic's guilty! I can't just stay here, I have to find him!_

Amy wasted no time in getting ready to once again run after her hero. Amy was soon stepping outside her front door, the afternoon sun warming every part of her body. She took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh air, making her heart pump fresh blood to her limbs, giving her even more energy to find the famous blue hedgehog.

_Wherever you are, Sonic, I'm coming for you. Don't worry._

_I just hope you're okay._

* * *

He felt dizzy, as if everything was spinning, even though he was completely still. Sonic groaned, the pain in his head all too familiar by now. Sonic opened his eyes, but the dizziness only made it worse. He closed his eyes and tried not to focus on the pain. It took a minute for the spinning sensation to calm down, after which Sonic opened his eyes again, only to see the same concrete walls surrounding him. He tried to wipe some of the dried sweat off his forehead. As he did, he started to wonder what happening to him, but then he noticed that there was something under this nose. He wiped it with his hand, and then saw that his glove was once again stained with blood.

Sonic looked at it with panic, and immediately sat up. His nose was bleeding as well as several cuts spread throughout his body, and his leg bandage was completely stained red. He had bruises all over his body and every bone and muscle inside him was aching loudly. He looked around, and realized he was still in the same concrete room, his chair still there. But he saw the restraints were broken, the wires attached to the black box which was still there, scattered all over the ground in front of the agent's chair, which had small puddles, splashes and drips of blood. But the sight that frightened Sonic the most was that the two agents, who were once gripping him strongly to the ground, were now lying motionless on the ground.

Sonic immediately receded until his back quills painfully met the hard wall. The two agents, and also the supposed doctor behind them, were all splashed with blood, not moving. Sonic's heart once again began to accelerate, and he knew that neither he or his heart could take much more of this.

_No…no, this can't be…not again! I didn't…_

Sonic looked once again at his hands…small drops of blood colored them, and making the hedgehog wonder what they did do. He receded even more until he met a dark corner, the silence surrounding him, and his mind slowly crumbling…

_What have I done?_


	7. Help

**Help**

Sonic sat perfectly still, almost not believing the sight in front of his eyes. Were they dead? He had no idea, he hadn't checked if they were breathing or if they had a pulse, but it didn't matter to him. He was paralyzed; the shock of the situation was too much for him for him to react. He grabbed his head with both hands, as he desperately tried to understand what was happening.

_What's happening to me?_

_What just happened? I remember…trying to break free, and they attacked me again, and I was fighting back, and then…nothing._

Sonic once looked again at the bodies in front of him. They were hurt, their blood spilled, not moving…and he had done it.

_No, I wouldn't hurt people! I'm always trying to protect people from pain!_

_Sonic…look at them. You're the only one who could've done this._

_No, I…I couldn't…_

_Face it, Sonic. You're no longer who you think you are._

Sonic cringed, trying to repel all those thoughts, push those flashes away, but no matter how much he tried, they just kept coming back. Sonic wanted to run far away from anything, someplace much darker than even the dimly lit corner he was in. He just wanted to leave everything.

_I…don't know anything anymore. I just want to disappear…I don't want to hurt anybody anymore._

_But you can't really control yourself, Sonic. You blacked out, and when you woke up, you were surrounded by blood, people lying around you, questions, doubts…just like you did yesterday._

_You've changed, Sonic._

_But, I'm the hero…the one who always fights against Eggman...the one who protects my friends…_

But Sonic was losing confidence in himself. His conscience kept yelling at him the facts…flashes of blood, dead bodies, blacking out and hurting people…all this time, Sonic kept holding on to the hope that maybe there was another explanation…Sonic felt like a darkness within was swallowing him, completely covering him, and slowly ripping his mind apart.

_I'm no hero…_

_I'm the cause of all the pain…I'll just hurt my friends…_

_And I don't even know why this is happening to me…_

Then the flashes came again: Sonic fighting a silhouette, blood all over him, struggling to no end. Why was he there in the first place?

_It doesn't matter…because I can't change things. I did what I did, and…_

_Maybe I really killed all those people…and if I don't stop, I'll hurt my friends as well._

_I can't let that happen…I need to protect them…protect them from myself._

That's when Sonic realized how lonely he was feeling, he felt lost, forgotten, abandoned. He was right where he feared to be the most: sitting in a lonely, gray room, and no one was there for him. The silence was overwhelming, not even the steady hum of a machine filled the air, which only made Sonic feel even more lonely. He felt a pain in his heart, unlike anything he'd ever felt. He felt…empty. Like there was nothing inside him that he could hold onto anymore, nothing about himself that he knew for sure.

Sonic felt his limbs shiver from the cold, and wondered for a moment what it'd be like if his friends were here, in front of him. What would they say? He imagined Knuckles seeing the agents of the floor, screaming at him for getting in such trouble, and he'd probably give him a good punch for being so careless and reckless, hurting people left and right. And Tails…oh, man. If the fox saw him, he'd see in his blue eyes the horror, knowing that his big brother he always looked up to, the hero he always thought he was, suddenly hurting people, not even capable of controlling himself…he'd probably just stare at him, not saying anything, letting his eyes show the horror and fear. Tails would probably be terrified of him, and would never want to see him to try and protect himself.

And Amy…it almost hurt to imagine Amy's face when she realized that the one she always followed, that the Sonic she gave her heart to, probably had no heart at all. That he was could hurt people so easily, who had no control over himself. That the Sonic she always admired was gone, just a cold-blooded killer in his shell, his mind overtaken by hate and anger.

"_Sonic, how could you do this to me? I cared about you…I even loved you!"_

"_I trusted you, I was going to give you my heart…and now you break it!"_

"_I just wanted to help you, but you just crush me in return! Do you even care about me? Do you care about anybody? Sonic, why are you doing this to us? I hate you!"_

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…" Sonic screamed to nobody, though he could hear Amy's voice in his head so clearly, almost as if she were really there standing in front of him. He could see so easily Amy on her knees, crying her heart out, knowing that she was scarred forever and that the blue hedgehog wasn't the Sonic she knew. Sonic began to slowly hit his head against the hard wall in desperation, feeling like he just couldn't go on fighting anymore against his own mind. He rubbed his arms, partly to protect himself from the cold, but also to feel comfort, as if someone was with him, trying to comfort him.

But of course, there was nobody there. No one to tell him it was going to be okay, no one to encourage him, no one to even give him warmth and comfort. Sonic felt his mind slowly slipping away, letting uncontrolled emotions take over him and crush his own heart. Sonic didn't even notice that he was sobbing quietly, letting a few tears escape his eyes and travel his face, but still, it didn't give him any comfort or relief.

_It's over. I can't go on…I just want to give up…_

_Sonic, you're losing it. You need to get out of here before you really lose it._

_I can't, it's too much…will it really make a difference?_

_Sonic, get out of there, now! Before it's too late!_

Sonic's rational mind kept yelling at him to get out, that he wasn't going to get any better in such a dark, cold, lonely place.

_Go to your friends, Sonic. You don't have to face this alone. Let them try and make you feel better._

Gathering whatever energy he had left in him, Sonic let a few sobs die out, and using his hands for support, he slowly stood in his feet again. He tried to ignore the pain, but his left leg gave out again, and he had to lean on the wall. Sonic let his head down again, knowing that it'd be a constant uphill battle to leave this place, and tried not to focus on the pain. When his leg felt strong again, he stood up, ready to give it a try.

That's when he noticed that on the wall in front of him, there was a large mirror, covering most of the wall, facing the back of the chair, making its existence unknown to Sonic until that moment. Sonic paused as he looked at his own reflection, his grayish eyes examining every part of his face, some of which was blood stained, some cuts, but nothing serious. But even though the reflection showed exactly what Sonic looked like, he couldn't but feel that that reflection…didn't really belong to him, it seemed different.

_Is this really me, who I really am?_

_Sonic, leave, now! Before you lose your mind!_

Sonic turned away, and even though he felt so weak and his sanity was beginning to crumble, he ran away as fast as his legs could carry him, leaving the room and not once looking back as he escaped and tried to find a way out.

* * *

Small and trained fingers traveled over a keyboard, reading and carefully analyzing all the information on the screen. Two blue eyes read every file attentively, the owner of those two eyes twirling its two tails, and looking for anything that would give him answers to his questions.

Tails had managed to hack into Eggman's files after much work, and countless tries to find a gap in his cyber-security measures, which took hours to find. Tails had only spent ten minutes looking at the files in his computer, but for some reason, Tails wasn't sure if this would answer some of the doubts he had. Despite his rational side telling him there was no reason to think this wouldn't work, Tails couldn't felt but have this feeling that this search would yield nothing of interest.

Though Tails was tempted to investigate if Eggman was working on any sort of evil plot, he reminded himself that he was supposed to find out if the evil doctor was somehow responsible or connected to the mystery surrounding Sonic, his own curiosity pushing him forward.

"Let's see…"Programming Battle Robots"…"Ideas for Future Bases"…"Recipe for Cake"? Huh…"Memories"…"Autobiography"…"Maps and Geological Features"…

Tails started to read the files with interest and curiosity. Most of the files were just long pages of text, with a few sketches on the sides, which if they were Eggman's, they were surprisingly good and accurate. Trying not to wonder why the doctor acquired such a skill, Tails started to put his search program to skim through every document and find anything related to Sonic, when Tails started to copy all the information into his hard drive, so he could continue his work on his own computer and disconnect from Eggman's base before the doctor noticed someone messing with his personal files.

After a few minutes of patient waiting, the computer finished copying the files, and Tails quickly disconnected his computer and made sure he erased all his digital fingerprints off the logs. Once he felt that Eggman wouldn't notice anything, Tails began to read Eggman's documents.

Tails' automatic search program constant worked, trying to find anything that might indicate any plan by Eggman, whether it was some days ago or if he was hatching one right now, while the fox checked some selected files himself. Even if it was Eggman's files, Tails had to admit that it was an interesting read. It surprised him that there was so little about new weapons and plans, yet a lot of information gathered over what must've been months of painstaking research. There were detailed maps of the world, drawings of constellations, several types of chemical reactions, bits of physics, geology, biology...apparently, when Eggman wasn't trying to conquer the world, he spent his time studying it.

Tails chuckled at the realization that both him and the evil doctor had a hunger for knowledge and the need to create something new. He wasn't sure to be relieved or terrified by the fact that Eggman wasn't as different as he thought he was. Realizing that he was getting distracted, Tails quickly closed the file on thermodynamics and kept looking for new plans, or any activity in the past days. Both Tails and his program looked through every file, but still, every file seemed to have nothing about Sonic's mysterious days. As the minutes passed, it was beginning to dawn on Tails that Eggman might have nothing to do with it at all. Tails made absolutely sure he copied everything from the main database, and yet there was no information about Sonic other than recollections of previous encounters, nothing new at all.

An hour had passed, and the program finished its work, having nothing to show for it. Tails sat back on his chair, looking at the screen, wondering if this was really all there was. It slowly began to dawn on him that Eggman might have no connection at all. And Tails already knew what the implications were if Eggman had no part in this whole thing.

_Face it, buddy. You know that all the evidence points at Sonic. You don't really need to be a genius to figure it out._

_But Sonic, he's a hero, he wouldn't just suddenly kill all those people without any reason. And Sonic would never hurt anyone. I know he wouldn't._

_Tails, maybe it's time you put your feelings aside. You know that there aren't a lot of options, and maybe you didn't really know Sonic as much as you thought you did._

_That's not true…Sonic's my best friend! He even treats me like his little brother, and we've known each other for so long…_

Tails' mind was filled with memories of him and Sonic fighting against Eggman in the old days. He remembered back to when it was just the two of them, before Amy, Knuckles and Cream were there. Flying on the old Tornado, chasing Eggman through the skies, destroying evil robots and freeing innocent animals, and all along, they always had each other's back, always counted on each other. And Sonic was always fighting against wrong, protecting his friends.

_Sonic's always helped me when I needed him, always encouraged me when I felt like I wasn't really needed._

_This time, Sonic needs my help. Sonic always had faith in me, and now I need to have faith in him. He needs to know that I'm on his side, no matter what, just like he always was. He needs to be with his friends right now, even if he thinks that he can manage on his own._

_Speaking of which, I wonder where he is now…Amy told me he was taken by some agents. He's probably being bombarded with questions, and any moment now I'm sure the news will spread the information, or whatever rumors are flying right now. Poor guy…I wish I could help him._

Just then, the phone rang loudly, snapping Tails from his thoughts a little too much loud for comfort. He quickly erased his frown and walked over to the phone, and just then realized that the sun was about to start setting behind the horizon. When the phone rang again, Tails quickly picked up the receiver and made a mental note to try and turn the volume down on that thing.

"Hello?"

"Tails? It's Amy. Listen, I need your help quick!" the pink hedgehog seemed troubled and in a hurry. Tails could quickly reason what it was about.

"Is it about Sonic?" the fox asked, though he was pretty sure Amy wouldn't be like this for any other reason.

"Yes. I found him, but he was in really bad shape. I found him unconscious, and he's really hurt. I think the agents got their hands on him and he ran away," Amy explained from the other end of the line, her emotions evident to Tails.

"Well, did you take him to a hospital?" Tails asked, but he was surprised to hear silence from the receiver.

"Tails, I…I couldn't," Amy whispered, leaving Tails surprised, wondering what she meant by that. "I thought he'd be too exposed in a hospital, and you know that everyone is asking questions about him. I couldn't just go to the city carrying Sonic bleeding and into a hospital. And ever since I heard some people are suspecting him, I didn't think I could do it. Besides, he was too heavy, and my house was a lot closer. He's resting on my couch," Amy explained, trying to make Tails see her point and convince him that she did the right thing. "Tails, I want to take him to a doctor, but I don't know who to trust."

It took the fox a few seconds to absorb all the information. He wasn't sure that Amy made the right choice, but there was nothing he could do about that now, he had to get Sonic some medical help. But who could he trust not to expose him, give him away to the authorities, now that it looked like the government was after him…

"Stay there, Amy, and keep doing your best to help Sonic. I know someone we can trust," Tails said, as suddenly an idea popped into his head.

"Are you sure, Tails?" Amy asked.

"I am," Tails reassured her, as he tried to remember the numbers he'd have to dial in a moment.

* * *

Complete darkness. Nothing else. That was all Sonic could see. Surrounded by nothing at all, it was just him in a dark, endless void. Sonic looked at himself, and was surprised to see that all his scratches, bruises and bandages had disappeared, and then wondered how he could see his own body if there was no light around him. Was he dreaming? Did that mean he was asleep, that he could wake up and leave this darkness? Sonic was about to try and somehow snap back into an awoken state, but then he realized that something was wrong.

He felt hollow, empty once again, like something important had been taken away from him. And in this darkness, he couldn't see anything, no one by his side. And that's when the memories came back. Him in the forest, the flashes of blood, the agents mercilessly torturing him for information…it made his heart stop. He had felt so vulnerable, so weak, so unprotected…it drained the energy out of him. Sonic lost his strength to try and escape this prison. He would've thought it was ironic, a prison where there no bars, no enemies…just himself.

"Don't worry, it'll be okay…" A voice boomed from everywhere and nowhere. "You're okay now, Sonic."

Sonic then felt a very strange sensation over his entire body, as if there was an enormous pressure on every part of his body, pushing him inwards. Almost like…he was being pulled out of this nothingness…and suddenly, he opened his eyes as he woke up. Where was he? He looked down, and saw that he sleeping in a bed he'd never seen, in a room that Sonic had never been in. There was a small nightstand by the bedside, where a small lamp rested, illuminating the room with a warm yellowish light.

"Hey, Sonic." Sonic turned his head, only to find Amy standing beside him, with a worried yet hopeful smile on her face as she came closer to him. "Feeling okay?"

"What happened? Where am I? What's going on?" Sonic asked his blood pressure rose, as his mind was waking up. His mind was confused and overwhelmed by the unfamiliar surroundings. Sonic felt his breathing and heartbeats increased, but Amy tried to calm him down. "Take it easy, Sonic. You need to relax."

Sonic's mind was going too fast, and although Sonic lied back on the bed again, his mind was still spinning, trying to understand what was going on. He remembered running away from the interrogation room at full speed. He ran and ran, and he felt his legs getting weaker and weaker, but he just kept on going, because he knew that he needed to get away from it all, and be someplace safe…

"What happened to me?" Sonic asked once again, looking back at Amy, standing just beside him, with a worried and caring smile on her face.

"I found you just outside the city. You were unconscious, you were badly hurt, and I carried you back to my home," Amy explained with a soft voice, and realized that Sonic was still a bit jittery. "Listen, you don't need to worry about anything now. You're safe, Sonic. I called Tails and he's here, and he brought a doctor, who fixed you up while you were sleeping. It's alright," Amy added. "You've had a rough day, Sonic. Try and relax, I'll be back in a while," Amy finished, and gave him a more cheerful smile, and turned away and left the door, slowly closing the door behind her.

Sonic let out a breath, and let his mind spin until it grew tired. So Amy found him again and took him to her house again. Sonic felt terrible, his limbs were still hurting, he had a headache, his mind was full of questions, and had no idea what was going on. And yet…being here, in Amy's home, being taken care of and looked after, and Amy helping him and giving him a sweet smile…for the first time in days, he felt the slightest wave of relief, because he knew that in here, with his friends, he was safe, and not alone.


	8. Reassurance

**Reassurance**

Amy softly closed the door, making sure that Sonic would get his much-needed rest. She stood in front of the door for a minute, her mind wondering if she should go back in and clear her doubt. Of all the questions in her mind, one was constantly bugging her, one that only Sonic could answer. But she decided it was too soon, and quickly went back to her living room, where Tails and the doctor were exchanging worried glances. As soon as Amy stepped into the room, both of them looked at her.

"He's okay. He's confused and tired, but he seems to be okay, he didn't complain about the pain," Amy reassured, and Tails finally let out a breath of relief, knowing that Sonic didn't seem to be too seriously injured. "Thank you so much for helping Sonic, Dr. Hilpert," Amy thanked the doctor with a kind smile.

"You're welcome, Miss Rose. Please, call me Anthony," an elderly cat in a white coat replied, kind as ever, giving back the smile, his friendliness reassuring Amy once more. She was glad Tails could find a doctor so quickly, especially one with such bedside manner. It made Amy feel safe that Sonic was in great hands. "Although this is certainly a bit unorthodox, I'm glad I was able to help out young Sonic," the doctor commented, not used to receive house calls in such a hurry, at least not in these last couple of years.

"We're very grateful for your help, doctor. I hope it's not too much of a favor not to tell anyone about this…" Tails asked the doctor. When Amy called him, he knew that he'd need a doctor, and Anthony seemed like someone that would understand and that he could trust. Tails briefly explained to him the situation, and after finishing his examination on Sonic, told him that he thought it'd be best not to spread this information. Tails omitted the part where Sonic apparently been taken by government agents so as not to arouse the doctor's suspicion. Though Anthony knew he didn't have the whole pictured, he sensed that the little guy was being honest and genuinely concerned about this.

"Don't worry, little fella. It'll be a secret. Though not exactly a matter of doctor-patient confidentially, I understand that you have your reasons," Anthony said to Tails, and then to Amy.

"So, doctor, what's the diagnosis?" Amy asked with both curiosity and concern. While the doctor's small smile was replaced by a thoughtful frown, he still retained his friendly manner and professionalism.

"Physically speaking, there are two things that concern me. First of all, Sonic has a broken leg, which has been bandaged and taken care of. I assume is the work of one of you," Anthony explained, and Amy looked away, remembering when she found Sonic near her house. Anthony saw this expression and quickly understood. "Don't worry, you did a good job. However, if Sonic has been running, and I can safely assume he has, it has only made his injury even worse. I gave him a shot of morphine to mask the pain, but it'll wear off soon."

"Sonic's leg will need time to recover. Until then, he mustn't run or put stress on his leg, as it needs rest. How long depends on several factors, but until then, it can be a somewhat painful process. Unfortunately, I'm too busy to treat him from here, but I can give you a prescription for some mild painkillers that'll help. And secondly, while I was examining him, I noticed that all of his muscles, including legs, arms and torso were extremely tense, as if undergoing a great deal of stress, probably too much for him to handle. Sonic will soon feel his muscles complaining, and he won't be able to move as much. He'll still be able to walk and do some basic tasks, but exercise will only make it worse. I suggest that you find some way to make his body relax. You can try a warm bath, some massages, and aromatherapy, whatever works on him."

All this time, both Tails and Amy were listening attentively, and Amy taking down mental notes and already wondering what she could do. While the doctor has turned silent, both of them could see that something else was on his mind. After a few seconds of silence, the doctor spoke up. "But I'm also concerned about Sonic's mental state. I have no way of knowing what he has gone through, but if he had to deal with a lot of pain, or if something traumatic has happened to him, then he'll need help. If any of you notice that Sonic's acting strangely, erratically, or seems emotionally unstable, he may need psychiatric help and evaluation. If that happens, I want you to contact me, I have an old friend who has helped many patients get through painful trauma, including PTSD."

Amy took it all in, though for some strange reason, she was uneasy about sending Sonic to a shrink or something or the like. He wouldn't like people messing with his head, being forced to sit in a room answering questions. Surely, she thought, if Sonic needs help, I can give him what he needs.

"However, that is a drastic measure, and I'm sure that with the help of his friends, he can recover. Apart from all that, Sonic's perfectly fine and in tip-top shape, apart from a few bruises here and there, but nothing he won't be able to handle," Anthony finished, looking at Tails, who nodded in understanding.

"Do you want to see Sonic?" Tails asked, signaling to the door. However, the doctor gave him a forgiving smile.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I know you want to reassure him, but I think it'll be best if his friends explain it to him, it'll be easier. Besides, I'm needed at the hospital," the doctor explained, and he grabbed his bag, resting on the floor, and extended his hand to Tails, who shook it kindly.

"Thank you so much for coming here and seeing, doctor. And thanks for keeping it a secret," Tails thanked him, glad to have called him.

"You're welcome, and don't worry, Sonic will get better. Goodbye Tails. Goodbye, Miss Rose, and have a nice evening," the doctor waved his hand before leaving Amy's house and carefully closing the door, leaving the fox and the hedgehog much more reassured than they were an hour ago.

Once they waved their goodbyes and Anthony left, Amy turned to Tails. "Let's check up on Sonic. I'm sure he's worried sick about what's happening," she suggested, and Tails nodded, and both of them walked to Amy's spare room, where Sonic was quietly thinking inside.

If Sonic wasn't so confused and trying to piece together the vague memories, he would've chuckled at the thought of it. What were the odds that he got injured twice in one day, and both times he was found by Amy and taken back to her house? It was almost as if he was being pushed towards her, as if someone wanted her to find him like that and help him. But in his current state, Sonic didn't find it funny, he was just grateful that Amy did find him and took care of him. But even that thought was pushed to the back of Sonic's mind. Only one thing constantly filled his mind, one that never left ever since he found himself alone in that room…that guilt, those flashes…

For now, the flashes weren't coming, but Sonic was nowhere near relaxed. They seemed to come and go unpredictably, almost at their own free will to torture him. But that horrible feeling inside him, which Sonic could only identify as guilt, only a lot worse and more painful, never left him. As soon as Sonic remembered what happened, he sat up in horror, and that painful emptiness consumed him again, much like the short dream before he woke up, covered in darkness, all alone to face his own emotions.

Sonic spent several minutes wondering how to deal with all this, and just as importantly, how to tell his friends what he saw. He had already imagined their reactions to the shocking news, and his stomach twisted painfully and the memory of what he imagined would happen if he told them. But he already knew that holding it all in would only make them worry, and he felt the strange urge to tell someone what happened, as if the memory was burning him from the inside, he just had to get it out of his system…but telling him friends would only shock them. It seemed like there was no way to do this, he just kept running in circles around this dilemma.

"Sonic?"

Sonic turned and realized that Amy was standing in the doorway with a look that showed both concern and happiness. And behind her was the unmistakable color of two very familiar tails. "Amy. Tails…"

"How are you feeling, Sonic?" the fox asked from behind Amy, and then walked over next to him, trying to hide the worry in his face, but Sonic could clearly see what he was feeling.

"I'll be fine," Sonic said, suddenly feeling like he didn't want to face his little bro, but nevertheless kept his eyes focused on him. "What happened?"

"Well, Amy found you unconscious a long way from here, and brought you here," the fox replied, and Sonic took a look at the pink hedgehog that was standing on the other side of the bed, yet not at close. "She called me and asked me what to do, so I ended up calling Anthony to come see you here."

"Anthony?" Sonic said at the sound of the familiar name. "You mean the doctor that we met in the hospital?"

"Yeah, that's him," Tails added with a small smile at seeing Sonic recognize Anthony. "I called Anthony, he came here and examined you," Tails paused nervously for a moment, and Sonic remained still, waiting for him to go on. "Your leg is in bad shape, Sonic. I know you've been running, and it made it only worse. He checked it out, and he said you'd have to rest for a while and not do exercise. He gave you a painkiller, but it'll soon wear off. He even said that you could've passed out from the pain while running," Tails said, his voice only showing his worry even more. Tails looked down, then gulped the worry down and looked back at Sonic with a small smile, trying to think of a way to cheer him up. "But that doesn't matter now, what's important is that you're okay."

Sonic wanted to grin, to give him a thumbs up, any gesture that would make Tails relax at seeing his big brother being his usual self, but for some reason, Sonic couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe because he didn't really believe that he was okay, and it was heart-wrenching for Sonic to see all his friends so concerned about him and taking care of him, oblivious to the horrors he'd seen, fearing that once he told them, it would all vanish in front of him. Then on the other side, Amy approached Sonic, her face a cross between a frown and a smile. Seeing her face, Sonic felt as though everyone was trying to force a smile when looking at him. It felt uncomfortable, awkward, almost guilty.

"Sonic, I want you to know something very important. I want you to know that if you need help, we're here for you. I'll be here all the time, and you call Tails and he'll come anytime you need him to, even Knuckles if you want. We know that you've been through a lot these days, and we want to help you. You can always talk to us," Amy said with all the sincerity she could express. She wanted to reassure Sonic, to let him know that if he ever needed her, she would be right by his side. Sonic couldn't reply, but instead looked at her…and felt the slightest bit of relief and joy somewhere inside.

_So…maybe, I'm not all alone. My friends, they're here, they can help me…_

_No, they can't. They don't know what you've seen, and if you tell them, they won't be able to handle the terrible truth they'll want to deny so much, and they'll leave all alone again. And if you don't, they'll eventually turn their backs on you. Face it, Sonic, you're doomed to be alone._

_No, they'll stick with me, like they did so many times. I don't want to this alone, I want someone to help me…and they want to get me back on my feet._

"You can count on it," Tails cheerfully added. "We've got your back, Sonic. And we'll help you all the way. We'll even drag Knuckles all the way from his shrine if we have to if that's what it takes," the fox joked, and Sonic couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, buddy. It helps to know that," Sonic grinned to Tails, and saw the fox's face relax in relief. Suddenly a thought crossed Sonic's mind. "Hey, do we know if by any chance old Egg-head has something to do with this?"

Sonic did not expect to see Tails' smile to dissolve, but Tails never changed the tone of his voice. "Well, I hacked into Eggman's files, and I've searched every one of them…but I didn't find anything," Tails answered, trying not to make it look like he was implying anything. "However, there are a few things I haven't tried yet, and I think that I may have found a way to discover hidden files in Eggman's hard drives, which may have some information," Tails added with optimism. If Amy hadn't called in at that time, he would've started to make his computer run data analysis and check for any suspicious code. Just then, Tails couldn't help but let out a small yawn, and only then Sonic looked at the clock on the wall to realize it was actually late, the sun was probably setting down at this very moment.

"You look like you're tired, little buddy. Why don't you go home and take a break? You've done more than enough for me today. Thanks for everything, little bro," Sonic suggested, giving Tails grateful smile, making sure he realized how much a little visit cheered him up.

"You sure, Sonic? I can stay for a few more minutes if you want me to," Tails replied, even though he knew he was tired and wanted to go home.

"I'll be fine. Get some rest, and see if you can find anything else on Eggman," Sonic said, hoping that Tails would find some answers, or at least a lead to investigate.

"Okay. Bye, Sonic, see ya later," the fox said, and then left the room. He quickly crossed the living room and reached Amy's front door. As soon as he opened the door, Tails could clearly see the sun setting on the horizon, and it was getting darker every second. Then he heard a soft rumbling sound high above him, and he realized those were storm cloud looming above him, ready to unleash their power at any minute. Obviously not wanting to be there when it happened, Tails wasted no time and began his journey home.

"I guess I'll be staying with you then," Sonic commented to the other hedgehog.

"Yep. The doctor said that today you shouldn't go anywhere, so you'll be sleeping here," Amy pointed out, not doing a very good job hiding the joy of having Sonic staying the night with her.

_Yes! It's finally happening! Sonic's staying here!_

_Yes, but not because he wants to. Only because he can't go anywhere else._

_Don't ruin the moment! One way or another, Sonic's with me. We can talk, hold hands, I can hug him, and we can spend all night talking. Oh, what if he wants to stay with me more than one night? What if he dreams about me?_

_Don't be ridiculous, Amy. Sonic doesn't want that. Don't you remember? He doesn't need a girl clinging to him all night. You said it yourself, you want to help him. And that means giving him his own space, not forcing him to do anything._

_But how many times does this happen? I don't want to lose this chance._

_Amy, if you do all that, it'll really be no different from so many times. You need to show him that when he needs you, you won't use it as a chance to hug him or try to date him, but that you can give him the support he needs. Don't you want to give Sonic what he needs, what he wants, to make him happy?_

"Thanks for taking care of me, Amy," Sonic replied, with a genuine smile that made Amy blush lightly. While he wasn't used to being taken care of like this, and he certainly wasn't entirely happy about not being able to move, and the fact that his leg was starting to hurt…he felt the strangest sparks of joy light up inside of him. Knowing that his friends would be willing to do anything for him right now was his only hope of getting through all this. He realized just how much he needed someone to help him find the way. He didn't want to be alone again, to feel the way he did in that room…

"You're welcome, Sonic. You know that if you need, I'm always right here. I'm happy to help," the girl replied when her blush toned down. It was going to be hard to resist her urges to hug him if he was going to be like this.

"So…now what?" Sonic asked, and Amy stared into his eyes before answering. Those orbs…how strange, they had a slight sparkle she hadn't seen before…she shook those thoughts and focused.

"Well, first of all, I'll prepare a warm bath for you to relax, while I make dinner for both of us, and then we'll call it a day, all right?" the girl said, already planning everything she needed for tonight.

"What about tomorrow?" Sonic started, wondering what he'd do instead of running and exploring. It'd be boring to just sit around all day doing nothing…

"Don't worry about that just yet. Let's take it one step at a time, okay? Just try to relax. I'll go prepare that bath," Amy said, smiling once more, making Sonic wonder where she found the strength to smile so much all the time. She then left the room and into her bathroom and turned the hot water on, while Sonic lied back on the bed, waiting for her. And even though the hedgehogs were now in separate rooms, they both had the exact same thought…how happy they were that the other was with them.


	9. Comfort

**Comfort**

Sonic took a deep breath as the water made his body heavier. And closing him eyes, he slowly exhaled, the air mixing with the steam coming from the hot water. There was a pause, and Sonic took in another lungful of air as he immersed his head in the warm liquid, the heat soothing his muscles. And he exhaled once more, as he listened to the sound of his heartbeat, hearing the rhythm of his own body slowing down as his muscles started to relax.

Sonic tried to relax and let his body go, using the relaxing technique Amy quickly described.

"_Breathe in, breathe out. Take deep breaths. Let your head go and listen to your own heart. Try not to move too much and let the water do its job."_

Being himself, Sonic had a bit of hard time getting used to not doing anything. It seemed so weird for him to just lie there and let water, of all things, relax his body. Amy also said not to let adrenaline take over him, or anything that would make him jittery and want to release so much energy.

_It's not always that easy, Amy._

Sonic shifted around in the tub, and heard the water moving about as it slowly washed away the last bits of dirt and blood. Sonic kept trying to relax, but the pain in his leg had only increased since he had woken up, and now it had gone from a faint sensation to an annoyingly persistent ache. It was hard for Sonic to stay still when his leg felt like someone was gradually but forcefully bending it, gradually forcing it until it broke. But he summoned his willpower and tried to ignore the pain and stay still.

_So now what?_

It felt so weird fro Sonic to just lie on a tub of water. Normally he just took a shower; he rarely submerged himself in the dreaded substance. He felt like he wasn't doing anything at all, and it didn't suit him. He wanted to just let the energy out, and thinking about it only made it worse, as his limbs want to just do something, anything…

_Stop thinking about it. You're not relaxing, you're just putting more stress on yourself._

_What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to relax, I really am!_

_You don't relax by trying to do so. You just have to let go of whatever worries you and let your mind and body take a break._

_Whatever worries me…_

Those flashes, those vague memories, the doubts…it all slowly came back. Ironically, it made Sonic stop shifting about, but only because the fear paralyzed him and the shock stopped his limbs from protesting, they just didn't seem to be there anymore for Sonic…it was all questions, and fear of the answers…

_No, anything but that…I don't want to remember all that again…_

_Think about something else! Anything that keeps your mind away from the horrors!_

_But what…I can't think of anything…_

_Think about something positive, something good that happened to you._

Slowly fighting the flashes, Sonic scrambled his mind for anything that brought him joy or relief, anything that gave him hope to fight the memories…a moment of joy...but nothing seemed to work. All that confusion and fear clouded his mind, he couldn't focus on anything pleasant. He couldn't stop seeing all that...he needed help...but he felt so alone. He remembered that gray room, sitting in a forgotten corner and looking into that mirror, no one else there. He needed help, he wanted someone...

"…_if you need help, we're here for you…we want to help you. You can always talk to us."_

That thought came out of nowhere, but it gave Sonic pause. Even though he felt so alone, his friends reminded him that they were worried about him, that they would look out for him when he was in trouble, that they'd try to pull through for him. And they always did, didn't they? They were there to help him, to fight his battles alongside him. Suddenly, those horrors didn't seem so overwhelming. He wasn't alone, it was just his own confusion. His friends were always there for him, willing to make him better.

He remember earlier that morning when they visited him, they all showed up so early just to see him...and he pushed them away, he hadn't stopped to think how much he was hurting them all. They were trying to help him even before he knew he needed it...but he didn't think about them. And even after doing that to them, Amy and Tails took care of him, and made him realize just how much they cared about him, even though he sometimes made mistakes.

A smile appeared on Sonic's face. That moment…it was the first happiness he'd felt in days. The first good news he'd received ever since all this happened. And little by little, Sonic's muscles finally relaxed as the fear slowly evaporated from his mind, and Sonic focused on the warm water surrounding him, and let it slowly soothe his muscles as he remembered that moment…especially when Amy smiled at him, and he had felt safe, knowing that he wouldn't have to face this alone. And now it seemed like he needed his friends more than ever if he wanted to get through this.

Sonic took another deep breath and tried to relax his muscles and let them go as the hot water made him feel heavy, almost like a blanket on top of him. Man, he'd never thought he'd end up taking a bath in Amy's house…it was always a situation that made him feel weird and uncomfortable. And he'd get the same feeling every time Amy tried to get him to stay with her at her house, or make him stay for an afternoon or two. He imagined that the girl would want to fill his head with romantic fluff, cuddle and go on dates and fulfill every fantasy the girl had collected over the years, and that he'd have no space of his own.

And yet…ever since all this happened, every time that he ended up in this house, Amy hadn't done any of that. She bandaged him, she had fed him, she tried to get him to open up, she took care of him…Sonic had to admit that it wasn't as terrible as it thought it would be. Staying with Amy really wasn't all that bad. It was like she understood what he needed and didn't crush him with her dreams, and did her best to make him feel comfortable in her house. Yeah…it didn't feel bad. Actually, he kind of liked it. He felt accepted, that Amy didn't really mind what he might've done, that she still wanted him to be comfortable and feeling well…it certainly didn't feel bad to be here at all…

* * *

When Sonic came out, already clean, relaxed and dried, Amy was setting the table for both of them in her cool dining room. He could clearly smell in the air the unmistakable aroma of home-cooked food, already making him hungry. Amy could hear air being inhaled, and looked up to notice Sonic standing in the doorway, one hand clutching his injured leg, but nevertheless with a smile on his face.

"You look better," Amy said, as she looked at him. He really did look better; he seemed more relaxed, not so tense and worried about anything.

"I feel better," Sonic replied, trying not to let his leg ruin the moment. Sonic took his eyes off her and looked around, looked at the room properly for the first time. It had a very homely and warm look, the warm colors, the wooden furniture and the bright yet soft lighting added up to a very comfortable-looking place to eat. "It smells delicious, whatcha making?" Sonic asked, remembering his hunger, which only increased as he inhaed even more of the mouth-watering aroma.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Amy answered with a grin, wanting to surprise Sonic. "We just need to wait a few more minutes and it'll be ready."

"Come on, tell me. What smells so good? I can't tell what it is…" Sonic asked, impatient as always as he crossed his arms and turned his gaze to the kitchen, and looked back at her with an insistent expression.

"You'll see. Come on, sit here," Amy said, indicating one of the chairs.

Everything was ready, all that was missing on the table was dinner.

"Is it chili-dogs?" he asked, trying to guess. The smell had hints of something so familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Sonic, I already made you chili-dogs today! You can't have the same meal twice in one day," Amy pointed out, looking at him incredulously."Just wait here. It's almost here."

Sonic sat on the chair opposite to Amy while she went once more to kitchen to finish their dinner. After impatiently tapping his fingers on the table and wondering what was taking so long, Amy finally came back, carrying two plates in her hands and set one in front of him and one for her. Sonic looked hungrily at his plate, and saw that it was chicken with some sort of sauce in it, with some spaghetti on the side. Sonic had never eaten this before, but nevertheless it looked pretty tasty, and judging by the smell, it was delicious.

"Thanks, Amy," Sonic said, unsuccessful hiding a bit of doubt in his voice facing a dish he'd probably never heard of. "What is it?"

"It's Chicken Parmesan. Try some, I think you'll like it," Amy replied as she sat down and blew at the chicken, accidentally blowing some steam at Sonic. "Sorry about that. It's a bit hot, you might want to wait a bit before you eat."

But it was too late; Sonic had already cut a piece and put in his mouth. The second his tongue tasted the chicken, Sonic felt a burning sensation. Sonic shifted around, trying to force it down without burning himself. It took him a few seconds to finally swallow. Unfortunately, it was too hot for Sonic's tongue to actually taste it.

"Couldn't you wait a bit?" Amy asked with a slight frown at always being so impatient to everything.

"Sorry," Sonic said with an apologetic look, obviously regretting not listening to her. "I was hungry, and it looks amazing," Sonic said with a smile, and Amy smiled back, loving the compliment.

"Thanks, Sonic. It took me a while to get it right," Amy mentioned, remembering the first time she tried to cook the chicken. It was a disaster, both the meal and the mess that she had to clean up afterwards.

"You mean you've already tried to cook this many times?" Sonic asked, surprised that she'd put a lot of effort into one meal. "It seems like an awful lot of trouble to go through for just a dinner."

"It's a lot of work, Sonic, but when you do it right, it's so worth it. Besides, I love cooking," Amy replied, looking back at the first dishes she had managed to prepare. To know that something that she had made was so delicious made her proud, and somehow everything tasted better.

"I know, I've noticed," Sonic remarked. He cut another piece, and this time he blew lightly, the steam carrying heat to Amy's face. This time, it wasn't as hot to Sonic's tongue and he was able to get a good taste. As soon as Sonic started chewing, Sonic's eyes widened the tiniest bit as a smile formed on his face, which was more than enough to let Amy know that he was obviously enjoying it. "Wow…this is delicious. It's really good, Amy!" Sonic said cheerfully as he began to dig in with newfound hunger.

Amy smiled to herself, seeing Sonic loving her cooking more than she expected. It was one thing to cook something delicious for yourself. But seeing Sonic enjoy it so much and making him happy, it was much more rewarding. She wondered if he bothered to put a lot of effort into cooking.

_Probably not, he doesn't have the patience to sit in front of an oven and wait for something to cook._

She giggled to herself, but Sonic noticed, suddenly curious. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing…just thinking about stuff," Amy said as she started eat her own food. A part of her wanted to just giggle and grin insanely at the fact that she was actually having dinner with Sonic. She hardly shared any meals with him, but just thinking that today she had both lunch and dinner with him made her heart flutter. And then Sonic would spend the night in her house…but somehow, a part of her felt worried, uneasy. Almost guilty that she was enjoying this so much, and yet Sonic had to deal with the incident, and government agents taking him away from everything and doing who knows with him.

_Come to think of it, he never told me what happened with those guys…_

"Ummm…Sonic?" Amy said, doubting for a second if she should ask about this as Sonic looked up and waited for her to continue. But she wanted to know, she wanted to protect him. She didn't really know why, but she had this feeling that Sonic was somehow suffering in some way, and she couldn't help but feel the need to keep him safe from whatever was hurting him. "Earlier today, you were dragged away by some kind of government agents."

Sonic immediately stopped eating, and the smile disappeared as his mind anticipated her question. Amy could clearly see that even mentioning the subject made Sonic uneasy. But she had already taken the first step, and there was no turning back now. And even though she could sense that she wouldn't like to hear the answer, it would only torture her not to know that something bad could've happened to him and she didn't' know. "What was all that about? What happened?" she managed to ask, though not without showing her emotions in her tone.

By now, Sonic had dropped his knife and fork on the table, and all his hunger had completely vanished. Sonic hands started to tremble; he could feel the painful memories coming back.

_No, no…why now? Why can't I just enjoy one night in peace? I just…_

And as he predicted, the memories came back in a flood. Sonic had to close his eyes, hoping that it would rid his eyes of those terrible sights. Those gray walls, those shocks, those flashes, it was all too much…he was back in that room, strapped to a chair…all alone, not even the agents, they were lying on the floor, bleeding…Sonic put his head between his hands over his ears and tightly shut his eyes, like trying to block out a barricade of noise and sickening images. But it was no use, as it all inside his mead…his head began to throb, he felt dizzy as his head felt like it was spinning.

Amy immediately stood up and flew to Sonic's side at seeing him acting so weird. "Sonic! Sonic! Are you okay?" she stood right beside him, but not touching him, fearing that it might only worsen the situation. Oh, why did she have to bring this up? She was supposed to help him get past this, not making him dwell and think about it!

_But I can't handle not knowing...I just can't, I have to know what he's suffered..._

Sonic heard her voice as if she was far away in some unknown distance, barely making it out between the echoes of his own thoughts. "I have to lie down…I need…I don't feel so good…" he managed to voice.

Amy wasted no time and immediately put one arm around him below his right arm, and summoned her strength to lift him and put him on his own two feet, and slowly she carried him to her spare bedroom, where Sonic would be sleeping, while Sonic muttered something about pain. She used her free hand to open the door. Once inside, she plopped Sonic to the bed and turned out the small lamp on her night stand. She put a hand on his forehead, and noticed it felt a bit too warm. She then went back to her kitchen, and came back with a wet cloth and put it on his forehead. Sonic's breathing was accelerated, and he kept muttering something that had to do with questions. It seemed like all of a sudden all those repressed memories came back and invaded his head, attacking him with guilt and confusion.

"Sonic, it's okay, don't worry. It's okay, nothing's going to hurt you. You're here with me, you're safe with me, I'm here," Amy whispered to him, trying to soothe him, but silently cursing herself.

_Darn, why did I do that? I shouldn't be making it worse, I told him he could talk to me about it, but clearly he doesn't even want to think about it! I don't know what came over me...I just wanted to know what they did to him...I only ended up hurting him...  
_

Sonic was still in that room, looking at his reflection, surrounded by silence…until slowly, a voice came out of nowhere, saying that he was safe, that he should try and relax. Slowly, the walls around him dissolved, light came in, and felt that he was resting on something soft. Eventually, the illusion disappeared and Sonic stopped shifting about and seemed to relax as his thoughts began to fade away. He then opened his eyes, returning from his lapse of reality, and then looked at his bedside, seeing a worried Amy sitting beside him in a small chair she had brought from her dining room. But she wasn't really looking at him, her head hung down, as if she were ashamed of something.

"Amy…" Sonic whimpered, glad to have overcome that horrible trip back to that gray room, and this time not finding himself alone when he woke up. Her face reflected a mixture of sadness and relief.

"It's okay, Sonic. Nobody is going to hurt you. I'm here with you," Amy soothed once more, trying to reassure Sonic whilst hiding the guilt in her voice. She didn't know why she had asked such a stupid question in the middle of their dinner, but by now she was too tired to obsess about it. She sighed in exhaustion. Today had been a long day for her, and somehow she knew that it had been an even worse one for Sonic. There was a short silence in which they stared at each other, both of them glad that the episode was over and worn-out from such a tiring day. "I'll go clean up the dining room. Try and get some rest," she advised him and then left the room, leaving him to reflect on what just happened, and happy to have an excuse not to face him. He was probably so angry at her for mentioning those agents, he probably wouldn't trust her to tell her anything...

But Sonic wasn't angry. He was just too confused to ponder about who had the blame when he couldn't even understand what just happened. He turned around with his face buried in his pillow, leaving his quills some space. Sonic didn't move, his body was in too much of a shock.

_What just happened?_

_I just lost control all of a sudden, and all she did was to ask me what they did. But it hurt so much to remember, and I just couldn't handle it._

_Can it be that even thinking about it, about what I did…makes me lose my mind? Am I…insane?_

_I just don't know what's going. And I can't even control myself, I don't know what's taken over me…one bad moment, and I could end up hurting her. Or worse…_

_I'm scared…I can't even talk to her about it without feeling this pain in my head and in my chest. I'm scared…I just don't know what I'm doing, what I can do to her…_

"Sonic?"

He turned around to see Amy, looking worried once more and she sat on the side of the bed, close to Sonic but still not making any contact. "Feeling better?" she asked with two worried, green eyes, though she knew that Sonic was still suffering.

Sonic looked back at her eyes with his own grayish-green ones, and then turned back to the pillow, where he lied , holding his knees closer to him. "No. I don't feel okay. Every time I think about it…I lose it. I just lose control, and I don't even know what's going on around me," he answered, as he felt Amy's gaze on him, looking at him with that ever-present concern, never really understanding him.

_Nothing I do reassures her. Why can't I just make her stop worrying?_

_Because she knows that it won't make the problem go away. She'll keep worrying as long as this keeps eating away at you. She won't leave…_

_And I don't want to be alone again…_

"Don't think about it anymore. It's been a very long day, you've had a lot of pain. Relax and try to sleep. We'll sort things out tomorrow," she said to Sonic, trying to cheer him up. "I'm sorry I had to spoil our dinner," she added, not believing that she had actually ruined her first dinner with him.

Sonic looked up to her incredulously. "Don't be sorry. It's not your fault it happened. You were just worried about me…I'm a mess, Amy. And I don't think I can set things right this time," he muttered, as he stared at the empty space in front of him, not really noticing Amy's presence…until he felt warmth on his hand.

He stared back at Amy, and found that she put her hand on tops of his, and she was squeezing it gently. Staring at her with both surprise and odd pleasure, he let her hold his hand and gently turn it so that both their palms were touching. It felt…nice. Reassuring, but in a different way. Amy's eyes were just so full of life and joy, even in the middle of this terrible situation, he could feel that warmth through her hand. "Sonic…you don't have to do this to yourself. Talk to me, Sonic, you can trust me. I don't want to see you like this, alone and in pain. We can get through this together, I know we can."

The girl give his hand one more squeeze. Sonic was too focused on her face, her eyes to even attempt to squeeze back. But he didn't want to pull away. The loneliness went away, those million questions in his head stopped screaming…he didn't feel alone. Somehow, both of them understood. Amy saw that Sonic wanted help, wanted to be comforted, and she just let her hand speak for her. And he knew that she was right…that with her help, he could overcome all this, and let her hand slowly travel and explore his fingers.

She broke the contact and stood up. "Don't think about it tonight. Just try and sleep. I know I will, I'm really tired. We'll sort this out tomorrow. Good night, Sonic," she said to him, and hesitated for a second, wondering he it'd be okay, her head trying to figure it out, but she just went along with the feeling and gave Sonic a very light kiss on his cheek, and left the room without another word. It didn't matter, Sonic didn't need any more words for today. He found himself gazing at door and thinking about Amy. Somehow, thinking about her made the screaming madness in his head stop. That she could make him safe...that she could see his pain and wanted to mend it.

Amy softly closed the door to her own room and threw herself to her bed, both thrilled and thoughtful about that moment. What did that mean? Was Sonic letting her help him, did he trust her to open her mind? Or was he still locking her out? He hadn't said anything, he never said he trusted her...but he didn't pull away either. Oh, it was all just too...unclear. Amy wanted to know what was on his mind, but he seemed so vulnerable and fragile. Feeling her exhaustion catch up with her, Amy decided to give it a rest. She quickly changed herself and lied on her bed, her fantasies once again filling her head, yet at the same time trying to dechiper Sonic's actions. She laboriously drifted into sleep, unaware that Sonic spent his last few minutes awake thinking about her.

* * *

**I would like to give a very big thank you to SilverDawn2010, who has been beta-reading the story for me all along and making it so much better, especially this chapter. Thank you so much, this story wouldn't be the same without you and your support.**


	10. -Trauma is dead until further notice-

Okay, I just wanted to make it official, because I hate seeing the hopeful e-mails pile up in my account.

"Trauma" is almost surely dead. I wrote the story and left it behind when I was fifteen. That was two years ago. I was a very different boy then. I had different interests, I thought different, I wrote differently, and most importantly, I had a different idea of what a good story was and what my plan for this story was.

I haven't even read this story in two years, and I have no plans at all to finish it. Truth is, I think I was biting off more than I could chew. I wanted to tell a huge, epic story, and I had many surprises in store, but the project got too big for me to handle. I had school and homework, and fairly soon lost interest. And it's not just this story, I haven't written any fanfiction in a long, long time, probably a year already. I've lost all enthusiasm for this story, I do not have the momentum I once had, and I certainly forgot or lost many of the ideas I had with it, though I still recall my initial plan for the story.

I might in the future come back to this story. Now that I've finally finished my secondary education, I have quite a lengthy break before things get really busy for me again. But in all honesty, even then I doubt I could identify with my younger self's spirit and love for the story and the characters. It's not that I dislike the characters, I'm just no longer interested in them. Now something else has my attention, and not even that has compelled me to continue my fanfiction hobby. I'm a very different person now, and if I were to finish this story and save it from cruelly ending it with so many cliffhangers and questions that you probably believe are entitled to be resolved, it would take a great change of heart from my part. It's not that I've discontinued my own story out of a lack of motivation and people telling me that it's a better story than I think it is, but simply a lack of interest.

I'd like to apologise to any readers who still had hopes that this story would be properly updated anytime soon, althought I would be surprised if there are any. I do believe it's a bit unfair to leave you and this story hanging like this, but I have not the will to properly continue. Maybe one day in the future, but for the time being, "Trauma" is officially dead. You still have tons of other stories in this site that you can enjoy, most of them certainly better than mine, and I hold no illusion that my ideas are in any way original or uncommon. And unfortunately, I have no new material to even attempt to compensate any readers who are still here. But I at least hope this very delayed annoucement has clearer up doubts and doesn't create anymore false hope.

Have a nice day, readers.

-"Bullet" Nick


End file.
